KL Rahul skips domestic cricket despite Gautam Gambhir's warning, takes break from game

KL Rahul has reportedly decided against playing for Karnataka in the knockout stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025. While the BCCI has made it mandatory for the players to play domestic cricket when they are not representing the national team, the right-handed batsman has opted out of India's premier 50-over competition.

According to a report in Sportstar, the Karnataka star has sought a break citing the need for rest following a grueling Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The five-match Test series ended last week in Sydney. KL Rahul played in all five Tests against Australia and has now asked for a better in order to recover and recharge.

As a result, Karnataka will be heading into the knockout stage without one of the biggest names in their squad. Out-of-favour India batsman Mayank Agarwal will be leading the team in the competition. While Karnataka will be without KL Rahul, there are some big names in the squad.

The likes of Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna will be featuring for the team in the competition. Both Krishna and Padikkal were also in the India squad for the Test series against Australia, However, they played only one Test each. While Padikkal played in the first Test, Krishna got a chance in the last Test of the five-match series.

Meanwhile, Karnataka will also be without their star pacer V. Vyshak. The fast bowler has been ruled out of the competition due to an injury. Karnataka will be facing Baroda in the quarterfinals. The match is scheduled to be played on Saturday (January 11) in Vadodara.

KL Rahul earns praise:

While Team India suffered a 3-1 loss in Australia, KL Rahul managed to impress many with his batting performance in the series. In the first Test when the Indian team was without its captain Rohit Sharma, Rahul was promoted to open the innings and he did not disappoint.

In testing conditions, he scored 26 and 77 as India beat Australia by 295 runs in the series opener. In the day-night Test, Rahul got the start but could not capitalize on it and departed for 37 before scoring only 7 in the second innings.

He scored 84 runs in the first innings of the third Test in Brisbane before scoring an unbeaten 4 in the second innings. For the last two Tests, Rahul was demoted to number 3 and failed to score big in either of the two games.

He could be seen in action next when Karnataka resume their campaign in the Ranji Trophy. While India are scheduled to play a T20I series against England later this month, Rahul is unlikely to be named in the team. He has not played a T20I since 2022 and it is highly unlikely that he would be representing India in the shortest format of the game anytime soon.

Karnataka squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts:

Mayank Agarwal (Captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Nikin Jose, K.V. Aneesh, R. Smaran, K.L. Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal (vice-captain), Hardik Raj, Prasidh Krishna, V. Koushik, Vidyadhar Patil, Abhilash Shetty, Pravin Dubey, Luvnith Sisodia, Yashovardhan Parantap.