Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul will be retained by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season but not as the captain of the team. According to sources, it is his decision to not be the captain of the team. In fact, the cricketer has reportedly said that he wishes to focus on his batting.
The NDTV quoted a source as saying, “The meeting was official with the CEO Sanjiv Goenka on Monday, where the topics of captaincy and retention 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 he will not be seen captaining the side.”
While the franchise has confirmed Rahul’s retention, the captaincy role remains undecided. Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran are reportedly the frontrunners in the race for the captaincy, with both players being highly regarded by the team’s management.
“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,” the source added.
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On Monday, KL Rahul met with Sanjiv Goenka at his office in Alipore, Kolkata, where they had a lengthy discussion lasting about four hours. After the meeting, KL Rahul left for Bengaluru to begin his Duleep Trophy practice at the National Cricket Academy. He will be playing for Team ‘A’, captained by Shubman Gill, in the tournament.
Rahul’s relationship with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka has been under scrutiny, especially after the team’s failure to qualify for the playoffs despite being in a strong position during the last IPL season.
The fallout between Rahul and Sanjiv Goenka was reportedly visible to fans, with sources indicating that Goenka was unhappy with Rahul’s leadership. Following the IPL, Rahul’s form dipped, and he was not included in India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India went on to win in Barbados.
As KL Rahul steps away from captaincy, he is keen to make his mark once again and earn a spot in the Indian T20 squad.
