Rabi sorghum is an important dry land crop grown in the Deccan Plateau on 5.6 m ha area in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. There is a need for the development of varieties specifically adapted for post-rainy season to enhance production and productivity levels. Research on rabi sorghum to enhance productivity requires gene pools, breeding lines and parental lines with different adaptation niches from those of kharif sorghum, higher dependence on rabi adapted genetic variability, specific emphasis on grain quality and fodder yield and developing high yielding cultivars with maturity duration suiting to different growing conditions defined by soil depth. For the past 25 years, several programs in India attempted to improve varieties and/or hybrid parents through pedigree breeding approach. Most of the present-day improved varieties are the result of pure-line selection practiced among the local/popular varieties. The varieties for specific soil situations (shallow, medium and deep) have been released. The popular varieties have lustrous, bold and globular grain distinct from the improved cultivars. Although several hybrids have been developed and released for rabi season cultivation, the area covered with hybrids is almost negligible. This is because of lack of appropriate hybrids with acceptable grain quality adapted to different agro-ecological situations of rabi season characterized by terminal drought, low temperatures and biotic stresses. Constraints in the development of hybrids in rabi sorghum are low heterosis due to use of Maldandi for improvement of both the parents, temperature sensitivity, fertility restoration and cold tolerance. Issues on male sterile and restorer parents with rabi adaptation and development of high yielding hybrids are discussed.