Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper K.L. Rahul has not been having the best of times as far as the T20 format is concerned. In the IPL 2024, LSG failed to qualify for the playoffs. Though Rahul scored 520 runs in 14 matches, his strike rate (134.61) and captaincy attracted a lot of flak.
He was not named in India's T20 World Cup squad either, thus putting his T20 future in further doubt. As the shadow of IPL 2025 mega auction looms large, LSG fans are eager to know whether the franchise will retain him, and even if they do, will Rahul be the skipper. To his credit, he led LSG to the playoffs in the first two IPL seasons.
The 32-year-old made his intention known when he met LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, but the latter has not given any assurances, it is learnt. An IPL governing council member confirmed to PTI that Rahul met Goenka at the RPG head office, and told the LSG boss that he wants to be retained. But, the franchise is planning to wait till the BCCI comes up with retention policy and the purse amount for each team, and so, has not given him any assurances.
A video of an animated conversation between Rahul and Goenka after LSG's heavy defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year's IPL, had gone viral.
Interestingly, in a podcast with Nitin Kamath, Rahul said that several IPL owners have business backgrounds, and so, they depend largely on data for player selection. But, it does not always translate to success. He added that even the best player based on data might have a bad season, and that there's no formula that can get you success.
LSG bought Rahul ahead of IPL 2022 for a then record of Rs 17 crore. Retaining him as first option, therefore, might cost a franchise around Rs 18 crore, if not more. It will cause a significant dent on any franchises' auction purse, and with the teams looking at younger and exciting prospects, Rahul will need to reinvent his game to stay among the hot picks.
There were reports that Royal Challengers Bengaluru were considering him, but there is no confirmation yet.
IANS quoted a source close to LSG saying that Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran are the favourites to replace Rahul as the skipper. Pooran, in fact, had captained the side in the matches where Rahul was used as the 'Impact Player'.
Zaheer Khan, reportedly, has been roped in as the team mentor, though the official announcement is yet to be made. Whether Khan and the LSG management will retain Rahul, remains to be seen.