Courtesy: IPL/X
Indian batter KL Rahul will be one of the big names to look out for in the mega auction for the upcoming 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-hander was released by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction after he reportedly didn't want to be retained by them. KL Rahul was among the top players picked by LSG when the franchise made its debut ahead of IPL 2022. He was appointed as a skipper, and led LSG to the playoffs twice in 2022 and 2023.
However, LSG didn’t have a great outing in IPL 2024 as they finished seventh in the points table. With every franchise able to retain only six players ahead of the mega auction, KL Rahul wasn’t in LSG’s retention list for IPL 2025. In his latest interview, the Indian wicket-keeper batter revealed a reason for his exit from LSG. "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," he was quoted as saying by India Today.
My aim is to obviously get back into the Indian T20 team: KL Rahul
KL Rahul had a decent season with the bat in IPL 2024 where the right-hander scored 520 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 136.12. But his steady approach of taking time early in the innings in T20s meant that he wasn’t included in the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Talking further in his interview, Rahul hoped to make a comeback in the Indian T20I side, and will look give his best in IPL 2025. The 32-year-old has a base price of INR 2 crore for the IPL 2025 mega auction.
"I have been out of the T20 team for a while and I know where I stand as a player and I know what I need to do to get back, so I'll look forward to this IPL season to give me that platform where I can go back and enjoy my cricket and my aim is to obviously get back into the Indian T20 team," KL Rahul said.
