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KL Rahul wasn’t retained by Lucknow Super Giants and was bought by Delhi Capitals at the IPL mega auction in Jeddah.
KL Rahul spent three seasons with Lucknow Super Giants. (Pic Credit: IG/klrahul)
KL Rahul is looking forward to new beginnings in the Indian Premier League after being bought by Delhi Capitals during a two-day mega auction held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) recently. Rahul represented Lucknow Super Giants or three seasons before being released.
“Grateful to the coaches, teammates and the fans who made this journey with LSG unforgettable. Thank you for the trust, memories, energy and unwavering support. Here’s to new beginnings!” read Rahul’s post on Instagram.
Rahul was drafted in by LSG ahead of their debut in IPL 2022. He captained them for three seasons and in two of them, the franchise made the cut for the playoffs.
Rahul, a wicketkeeper-batter, seemed to have lost favour with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka after the team endured a poor IPL 2024. The two were seen having an animated discussion after LSG suffered a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad towards the end of the last season.
LSG decided to retain Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni.
“We wanted a player who have the mindset to win. We wanted to retain a player who puts the team first ahead of their personal milestones,” Goenka had said after LSG announced their retention list.
News agency PTI reported that Rahul’s batting style was the reason behind him being released by LSG. The 32-year-old scored 1410 runs in 38 matches for LSG including two centuries and 10 fifties.
LSG then splurged a record-breaking Rs 27 crore to buy Rishabh Pant and thus made him the costliest player in IPL auction history. On the other hand, DC sealed the services of Rahul with a winning bid of Rs 14 crore.
DC co-owner Parth Jindal though has refused to confirm if Rahul will lead the franchise next season. “It’s a bit premature to talk about the captaincy. Axar Patel has been with the franchise for a very long time and he was the vice-captain for the last cycle, so we don’t know whether it’s going to be Axar or whether it’s going be somebody else,” Jindal was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
