KL Rahul OUT of Delhi Capitals after just 1 IPL season, IPL winners show dominant interest
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The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are reportedly planning to bring in KL Rahul from the Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2026 season in exchange for high-stakes players or a fair all-cash deal.
The Kolkata Knight Riders are the third most successful team in the history of the IPL; however, despite being the defending champions in 2025 could not see themselves off to the playoffs in IPL 2025. They failed miserably on occasions, especially when they failed in the modest chase of 112 against the Punjab Kings.
On the other hand, KL Rahul, the veteran Indian wicket-keeper batsman, has played for four franchises in his IPL career. He started with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and then moved to the Kings XI Punjab. He was assigned a captaincy role for LSG in 2022 and then moved to the Delhi Capitals in 2025. However, he has never been part of a title-winning squad.
KKR is looking to bring in KL Rahul
KKR have now shown interest in acquiring the likes of wicket-keeper batsmen, as KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are both under the radar for the Knight Riders. They are looking for an Indian cricketer who can be cited as a long-term investment for the side.
Rahul, who was the Delhi Capitals' top scorer in IPL 2025, went on to amass 500+ runs in the edition. KKR have struggled to find a suitable wicket-keeper despite having picked Quinton de Kock, the veteran South African star.
While KKR has, ever since the departure of Shreyas Iyer, missed a true leader, and KL Rahul's experience can come in handy in the role. However, for Rahul, it would be difficult to adjust if he were traded twice in two editions of the game.
KL Rahul can be the one-stop end to KKR's quest for a - Captain, Wicket-keeper and Opener
Ajinkya Rahane, the Indian veteran middle-order batter, was appointed the skipper of the Knight Riders side after they released the title-winning skipper, Shreyas Iyer, for 2024. Though Rahane was brought in as the skipper, he could only be promising as a batter, but his captaincy failed to produce results.
Recently, Rahane has also let go of his captaincy in the Indian domestic circuit, as he has passed on the Mumbai captaincy to the new generation players. Amid this, the Knight Riders are looking to bring in KL Rahul, who has proven IPL leadership experience and will be a fantastic addition to the team.
Though the trade remains very uncertain, as the Capitals would not let go of their star cricketer easily, especially after the impact he had during the previous season, and he also scored a stunning hundred.
Is Venkatesh Iyer to be released for such a huge deal?
Venkatesh Iyer, the player bought for an insane amount of money, INR 23.75 Crores, which seems to be the only recourse for acquiring Rahul, as the release of the cricketer would make KKR's purse look heavy.
KKR, anyway, does not have enough money for an all-cash deal; however, they can also look to trade out two players to the Capitals in exchange for KL Rahul. However, for such a deal, the Capitals also need to show interest in the two players from the KKR camp.
