KL Rahul Set to Leave LSG, Approaching Mega Auction

KL Rahul, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants since IPL 2022, is not expected to be retained by the franchise and is poised to enter the upcoming mega auction ahead of the 2025 season.

Following LSG's disappointing seventh-place finish in IPL 2024, questions have arisen about Rahul's future with the team. Speculation has swirled regarding whether he will be among the retained players, if he wishes to stay with the franchise, or if he might be kept but stripped of the captaincy.

Throughout his tenure, Rahul has been LSG's leading run-scorer, accumulating impressive totals across three seasons. He was the second highest run-scorer in IPL 2022 with 616 runs, and although he missed the latter half of the 2023 season due to injury, he rebounded as LSG's top performer in 2024, scoring 520 runs. However, his strike rate of 136.12 in IPL 2024 has drawn criticism, especially in light of increasing scoring rates across the league in recent seasons.

The situation became particularly tense after LSG's significant loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, where owner Sanjeev Goenka was observed in a heated discussion with Rahul on the field. While this sparked speculation about Rahul's standing within the team, it is believed that Goenka expressed his disappointment over the defeat but maintained an amicable tone during their conversation.

At a recent event in Kolkata, where former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan was introduced as LSG's mentor, Goenka referred to Rahul as "family," though he refrained from making any definitive statements regarding the player's future.