Lucknow: Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul reportedly will be retained by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2025, but not as captain.
Rahul’s decision to step down from leadership was motivated by a desire to contribute more with his batting in the field, a strategic move that reflects his commitment to the team’s success. However, the identity of the next season’s captain remains a mystery.
According to sources close to the Lucknow franchise, Rahul will be retained, but the captaincy position is up for grabs; Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran are the two key contenders.
“The meeting was official with the CEO Sanjiv Goenka on Monday, the captaincy and retention topics were discussed. However, Rahul is unlikely to captain the side in the upcoming edition as he wants to explore himself more as a batter. Goenka has full confidence in Rahul, and he will be retained as a player but will not be seen captaining the side,” sources close to the Lucknow-based franchise told IANS.
“We are still exploring the captaincy option, but with BCCI agreeing on player retention conditions, we have two players (Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran) in the race,” he added.
Rahul’s meeting with Goenka on Monday at his office in Alipore, Kolkata, was a crucial one. They engaged in a four-hour discussion, highlighting the importance of the decision and the effort put into it, before Rahul headed for Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy to begin his Duleep Trophy practice.
Rahul will be playing for Team ‘A, which is captained by Shubman Gill.
Rahul had a falling out with LSG owner Goenka in full view of the fans, with sources claiming that the LSG owner was unhappy with Rahul’s captaincy as the Lucknow Super Giants failed to qualify for the playoffs despite being in a strong position. After the IPL, Rahul did not perform well and was not included in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India won in Barbados. He is hoping to make it to the Indian T20 squad.
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Photo: IANS/Suresh Kumar
