KL Rahul's honest admission on parting ways with LSG: ‘Wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom’
KL Rahul asserted that he wants to explore options in the auction and hopes to find a team where he can play with some freedom with a lighter atmosphere.
Senior Indian batter KL Rahul has revealed the reason behind parting ways with Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Rahul joined LSG in IPL 2022 and was named captain straightaway of the franchise. He led them to the playoffs on his debut season, but things didn't turn out well for them in the 2024 season, where the skipper's form dropped, and they finished in the bottom half of the points table. During a league stage match against SRH, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka's on-field behaviour towards Rahul made things worse for them; both parties sorted things out later. However, they decided to part ways as Rahul will now enter the IPL 2025 mega auction.
KL Rahul asserted that he wants to explore options in the auction and hopes to find a team where he can play with some freedom with a lighter atmosphere.
"I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom, where the team atmosphere could be something lighter. Sometimes you need to move away and find something good for yourself," KL Rahul said in a promo on Star Sports.
LSG retain Nicholas Pooran and four others
His stint with LSG saw him play 14 matches in the IPL 2024 season, where he scored 520 runs at an average of 37.14. However, his strike rate of 136.13 faced considerable criticism, with many arguing that his approach often hampered the team's overall performance. The franchise has opted to retain Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, and Mohsin Khan.
Sanjiv Goenka discussed the rationale behind the retentions, highlighting that keeping Nicholas Pooran was an obvious choice, reflecting the franchise's commitment to maintaining a strong core.
"Our first retention, which was an automatic choice, happened in less than two minutes. That was Nicholas Pooran. We have two capped retentions: Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav, and two uncapped: Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni. It was a process involving Zaheer Khan, Justin Langer, and the analyst," Goenka said in the video.
A total of 1,574 players ahead of the IPL mega auction to be held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25.
