KL Rahul’s future with LSG in IPL has been decided by franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka on August 28, 2024. The remark came a day after India’s wicketkeeper-batsman met with the founder and chairman of the RPSG Group at his Kolkata headquarters in Alipore.
“Yes, Rahul came to Kolkata and met Dr Goenka at RPG head office. He has clearly told Dr Goenka that he wants to be retained. However, till BCCI comes up with the retention policy, LSG management wouldn’t want to chalk out their plans.
Look, Rahul wants retention but till LSG knows how many are to be retained and what’s the new purse, they can’t commit anyone,” the IPL source told PTI.
Earlier this year, during the IPL 2024 season, a video from the LSG dugout went viral, showing Goenka having an animated debate with Rahul following the team’s devastating loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH had chased down 163 runs in 10 overs against LSG, prompting Goenka to publicly confront KL Rahul in front of the crowd and other players.
The footage raised questions about Rahul’s future with the franchise following the event. However, it was later described as a “frank discussion between owner and skipper” when Goenka invited Rahul to dinner.
“I don’t want to comment on speculation”- Sanjiv Goenka on whether LSG will retain KL Rahul
Despite Goenka’s explanation gesture, rumors persisted that his relationship with Rahul had deteriorated, and the India star was unlikely to be retained for the 2025 IPL season.
In fact, a report in Dainik Jagran hinted that his former franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, is interested in signing Rahul. In the midst of the growing conjecture, Goenka addressed the prospect of retaining Rahul while maintaining the suspense.
“I don’t want to comment on speculation. All I will say is KL Rahul is family,” he was quoted by Revsportz on Wednesday.
Breaking on @klrahul
“I don’t want to comment on speculation. All I will say is KL Rahul is family”. Sanjeev Goenka @LucknowIPL @rpsggroup @RevSportzGlobal
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) August 28, 2024
Rahul, who is no longer relevant in India’s T20 format, joined LSG in 2022 and led the team to the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Despite Lucknow’s failure to clinch a hat-trick in 2024, critics lauded Gautam Gambhir’s managerial skill for the team’s success in 2022 and 2023.
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