IPL Auction 2025: KL Rahul finally gives a thunderous beating to LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka

Star India batter KL Rahul has finally opened up on moving out of Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. During his comment, Rahul also took a dig at LSG's owner Sanjiv Goenka's earlier comment in which he claimed that the team wanted the players with the mindset to win.

Just like the other teams, Lucknow Super Giants also announced their list of retained players but did not include their captain KL Rahul in it. As a result, Rahul will now be one of the marquee Indian players at the auction.

Also read: Rohit Sharma's 'Overconfident India' vs New Zealand gets sensational drubbing from Australia

KL Rahul breaks silence on leaving LSG

While reacting to the comments made by Sanjiv Goenka, KL Rahul claimed that he wanted to explore more options and wanted to play at a place that has more freedom with a light atmosphere.

"The decision was made already. I don't know what the comments are but they must have come after the retentions were made. Just felt like I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to play somewhere I can find some freedom and team atmosphere would be something lighter, much more balanced, pressure is already very high in the IPL," Rahul said to Star Sports.

It was clear from Rahul's comments that the dressing room at Lucknow Super Giants did not give him the freedom to express himself. With already so much pressure in the tournament, Rahul expects the upcoming dressing room to have a light atmosphere.

Relations between KL Rahul and Sanjiv Goenka

KL Rahul and LSG team owner Sanjiv Goenka were involved in a famous verbal communication on the ground during the IPL 2024 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. Goenka was animatedly seen talking to Rahul about the team's poor performance in which they lost by 10 wickets to SRH.

Since then, speculations have risen about Rahul's potential change of team from the next IPL season. While all seemed to be fine in between, Rahul and LSG decided to part ways finally.

KL Rahul lauds CSK and Gujarat Titans

Further speaking on a good dressing room atmosphere, KL Rahul credited Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings for a balanced team atmosphere regardless of the results. He feels that such a dressing room gives the players the freedom to play their best game.

"You see teams like Gujarat Titans, CSK, and all of these teams, and you see, whether they win or lose, they seem very balanced; they stay very calm; that's something very important for me as a player. If that happens, I feel like it gives all the players the best chance to perform," he reckoned.

Both Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings are two successful teams in the history of the IPL. Chennai Super Kings have won the title for a record five times, which is the joint-highest with Mumbai Indians.

On the other hand, Gujarat Titans have reached the IPL final on two out of three occasions. They won the title in their first season in 2022 and finished as the runners-up next season. However, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024.