In the next 48 hours, all eyes will be on the IPL retention lists for the 10 franchises, with the deadline on October 31. Fans are particularly curious about KL Rahul‘s future with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Although the franchise previously suggested they might not retain their captain, a new report indicates that Rahul chose to leave Lucknow despite receiving a retention offer.
On August 26, Rahul visited Kolkata to meet LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka at his Alipore office, leading to speculation that the India star and the franchise had resolved their issues and were set to continue their partnership next season.
However, Goenka did not comment on Rahul’s situation, and a recent report from ESPNCricinfo confirmed that the wicketkeeper-batter is not included in their likely retention list, which includes Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mohsin Khan.
According to a report by Times of India on Wednesday, Rahul was offered retention by Lucknow for the 2025 IPL season but chose to decline due to personal and professional reasons.
“LSG were ready to offer top retention bracket to Rahul, but Rahul eventually decided to move on due to personal and professional reasons,” a source told TOI.
CSK is poised to join the competition for Rahul
Although Rahul is no longer part of India’s T20I plans, he is expected to be a sought-after player in next month’s IPL auction due to his leadership skills. He captained LSG for three seasons, leading them to the playoffs twice.
In addition to the speculated reunion with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rahul is likely to attract offers from Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Gujarat Titans.
“At the moment, there are four franchises who have expressed their interest in him – Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings. Expect all four to go hard for him in the auction,” a source told TOI.
In total, Rahul has participated in 132 IPL matches for four franchises—RCB (2013-16), Sunrisers Hyderabad (2014-15), Kings XI Punjab (2018-21), and LSG—amassing 4,683 runs at an average of 45.47 and a strike rate of 134.61, including four centuries and 37 fifties.
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