Rahul Dravid’s shock exit from the Rajasthan Royals (RR)’s coaching team on Saturday (August 30) has birthed several conspiracy theories on social media. Fans are speculating that team captain Sanju Samson
has had something to do with it, believing that now that Dravid is gone, the trade rumors about the former will end.
Publicly, neither Dravid nor Samson has hinted at any trouble between them. Even though videos during IPL 2025 showed them a bit distant but even that was more conjecture than anything else.
However, Dravid’s sudden exit does raise questions. He had been in the job for just one year, which is never enough to judge a coach’s true impact (take Andy Flower at Royal Challengers Bengaluru as an example), and RR’s media posturing suggested that they saw Dravid, an India legend and a T20 World Cup-winning coach, as one of the faces of the franchise.
While some fans are debating whether this move is good for RR or not, other feel there’s something wrong behind the scenes.
One fan said, “You can’t deny that there wasn’t a rift between Sanju and Dravid. Dravid gone means Sanju is gonna stay 100% Management had to pick any one of them and they chose Sanju”
Another added, “RR had to choose between Rahul Dravid and Sanju, they’ve chosen Sanju Samson. End of the trade stories, Sanju will stay.”
A third fan said, “I know Samson is behind Dravid’s sacking, but I can’t prove it”
Check some more reactions here:
All RR fans please respect a legend like Dravid, He always shown and guided the future of RR in last decade by backing Rahane, samson as captain, this season he backed suryavanshi and jurel as a coach.
Do not spread any wrong theories. pic.twitter.com/QubNhCz3kG— ProbabilityImpliesPossibility (@ProbabilityImp2) August 30, 2025
Those who don’t understand.
It was clear that between Samson & Dravid they chose Samson.
I think it was always about Samson & Dravid.
Now Samson ain’t going anywhere. https://t.co/ADJtVCKLtA— Raazi (@Crick_logist) August 30, 2025
Dravid isn’t head coach anymore 😭😭pic.twitter.com/80oJpfWiYF
— AdityaRRaj (@RR_for_LIFE) August 30, 2025
Rahul Dravid. 💔
After just one year on his return to the Royals family, he has decided to step down as the Head Coach. I think maybe due to the poor performance in the last season. Wasn’t expecting this though.
— Bhawana (@cricbhawana) August 30, 2025
What’s behind the Sanju Samson rumors?
Before the Dravid rumors began, there were several reports claiming that Samson had played his last year at RR. Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders were said to be interested, while some reports even said that RR were actively offering Samson to other franchises in exchange for players.
However, that didn’t materialise. Whether or not Dravid’s exit is connected to Samson, RR would need to make sure they don’t overdo the many changes before the next season and end up dismantling the slow progress they have been making over the past few years.
