Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. is one of the most devastating soil-borne fungal pathogen causing collar rot disease in the chickpea crop. At present, the chemical fungicides that are used for the management of this disease not only have negative effects on the environment but also on the human health. The present study deals with an assessment of the two methods used in the environmental friendly approach involving the use of Bacillus spp. for the management of this disease in the chickpea plants. Two Bacillus species, namely, B. valezensis and B. tequilensis were applied to the seeds by the seed coating and seed biopriming methods. Treated seeds were sown in earthen pots filled with sterilized soil and infected with S. Sclerotium rolfsii after 25 days of sowing. The results showed that the chickpea seeds bioprimed with B. valezensis and B. tequilensis exhibited significantly higher seed germination rate, plant length and plant biomassas compared to the seed coated and the control (non-treated) plants. The bioprimed chickpea seeds challenged with S. rolfsii exhibited significantly decreased disease severity as compared to the seed coated and control plants. Our results also supported the fact that of the two species used in this study, B. valezensis exhibited better potential in plant growth-promotion (PGP) and disease suppression against S. rolfsii infection as compared to B. tequilensis. Thus, it may be concluded that seed biopriming is much more efficient approach for application of plant growth-promoting bacteria than the seed coating method to manage collar rot disease in the chickpea plants.