IPL 2025: KL Rahul shocks LSG owners by rejecting retention offer

The non-committal stance of the star batsman KL Rahul has left the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the dark over the future of the batter with the franchise.

There have been numerous reports that have suggested that KL Rahul's stint with the Lucknow Super Giants is all but over and he will be putting his name in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.

KL Rahul Has Been LSG's Top Performer With Bat

Rahul was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their debut season in the drafts ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction.

KL Rahul was bought for INR 17 crore, and along with him, they roped in all-rounder Marcus Stoinis for INR 9.2 crore and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi for INR 4 crore.

Rahul, who had just moved from Punjab Kings, did a terrific job for LSG in their first season and was wonderful both as captain and batter. In 15 matches, he smashed 616 runs at an astonishing average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 135.38. He helped LSG qualify for the playoffs, but they lost in Eliminator.

In IPL 2023, Rahul played just 9 matches and scored 274 runs at an average of 34.25 and a strike rate of 113.22 before getting ruled out of the entire competition. LSG had the same faith in that season as well, as they lost the Eliminator.

KL Rahul returned to the side for the IPL 2024 season and once again had a good season with bat. He scored 520 runs at an average of 37.14 and a strike rate of 136.12. This time around, however, Lucknow Super Giants didn't make it to the playoffs and finished at the seventh spot.

Overall, Rahul has played 38 matches for the Lucknow Super Giants and has scored 1410 runs at an average of 41.47 and a strike rate of 130.67, which has been heavily criticized. Notably, he is the only LSG batter with over 1000 runs for the side.

KL Rahul Was Bashed By Sanjiv Goenka In IPL 2024

Lucknow Super Giants faced a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 8 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad in IPL 2024.

After the game, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen bashing Rahul brutally on the field. He was caught on camera having a heated chat with Rahul and head coach Justin Langer. This act by the team owner didn't go well with fans, who slammed him for his behavior.

After the incident, several cricketers, LSG stars, and coaches spoke about it, and some reports even claimed that the franchise was unhappy with the captaincy of Rahul.

KL Rahul’s non-committal stance leaves LSG in the dark

Meanwhile, according to a recent report in ESPNcricinfo, KL Rahul is all set to part ways with the Lucknow Super Giants and enter the IPL mega auction.

Recently, during an event in Kolkata where Zaheer Khan was officially unveiled as the new mentor of LSG, Sanjiv Goenka had said that Rahul is like a family to them, but didn't confirm his retention.

Now, according to the report, LSG and KL Rahul had a meeting where the batter did not commit to accepting the offer if the franchise decided to retain him. Also, the final decision regarding the matter will be taken very soon.

"It is understood that during a meeting with LSG's owners recently Rahul had not committed to accepting if a retention offer was made," the ESPNcricinfo reported.

All the Indian Premier League franchises need to submit the list of retained and released players to the governing council by October 31.