KL Rahul, who has led the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) since their IPL debut in 2022, is unlikely to be retained by the franchise and is expected to enter the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Questions about Rahul’s future with LSG have surfaced after the team finished seventh in IPL 2024, a sharp decline from their playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. Speculation intensified after LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka was seen having an animated on-field discussion with Rahul following a crushing loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. While Goenka later described the exchange as amicable, doubts over Rahul’s retention persisted.
Rahul has been LSG’s top scorer across three seasons, amassing 616 runs in 2022 and 520 runs in 2024, despite missing the latter half of the 2023 season due to injury. However, his strike rate—136.12 in IPL 2024—has drawn criticism, particularly as scoring rates have risen across the league in recent seasons.
During an August event announcing Zaheer Khan as LSG’s mentor, Goenka referred to Rahul as "family" but did not clarify the franchise’s retention plans. Recent discussions between Rahul and LSG management reportedly left his stance on retention unclear, with a final decision expected in the coming days.
Teams have until October 31 to submit their lists of retained players for the IPL 2025 season. Franchises are allowed to retain up to six players, with a maximum of five being capped internationals. As of now, Rahul’s name is poised to be among the prominent entries in the upcoming mega auction.
Updated on 24th October, 2024 by MYFortune11