Since the end of the previous season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the known fact was the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and their captain, KL Rahul, parted ways before the upcoming edition of the event. The relationship between the player and the management went downhill and never got better.
The batter led the franchise to back-to-back playoffs during the 2022 and 2023 seasons of the tournament before failing to do so in the following edition. With the bat, KL Rahul smashed 520 runs in 14 innings at an average of 37.14 and a strike rate of nearly 136 with the help of four half-centuries at a best score of 82.
The strike rate was on the radar of many of the pundits of the game and the franchise didn’t seem to be happy with the performance of the veteran, who, despite scoring runs in a consistent manner, wasn’t getting the right speed of those knocks.
CSK, RCB, GT in hunt of KL Rahul in the IPL 2025 mega auction
During the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the former Indian captain was seen to be engaged in an animated chat with team owner Sanjeev Goenka after the side was handed over a tough ten-wicket defeat as the home side chased down the score in less than half-way mark.
KL Rahul since then, has been going through a dodgy time in the game, as he missed the bus in the T20 World Cup 2024 selection before having a tough time in Sri Lanka during the three-match ODI series. On the back of his colorful performances in the Duleep Trophy 2024-25, he was selected in the squad for the Bangladesh Test.
The second game in Kanpur saw him getting back in rhythm, but another poor outing in Bengaluru during the opening Test against New Zealand saw him getting dropped for the second encounter in Pune.
The reports have claimed that the move-on decision from the opening batter has come due to ‘professional and personal reasons’ as the ‘Times of India’ has informed. He traveled to Kolkata on August 26 to meet Goenka at the office of the latter in Alipore, which sparked the speculation that he could continue in the same captaincy position of LSG.
When the franchise announced the former left-arm pacer of the Indian side, Zaheer Khan, as the new mentor of the side, he addressed the Bengaluru-born as ‘family.’ However, it has emerged that they are ready to get separated.
“LSG was ready to top retention bracket to Rahul, but he eventually decided to move on due to personal and professional reasons.” The report has expressed.
However, the quality of the batter, having collected 4683 runs in 123 innings at an average of 45.46 and a strike rate of over 134 with the help of 37 half-centuries and four centuries at a best score of unbeaten 132 runs, will always attract various franchise for the new season of the IPL.
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“At the moment, there are four franchises who have expressed their interest in him- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gujarat Titans (GT), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Expect all four to go hard for him in the auction.” The report has mentioned.
RCB could be in search of a new captain, but the news of Virat Kohli being reappointed in the leadership place could be the end of it. KL Rahul can be one of the biggest buys in the mega auction of the IPL 2024.