KL Rahul to be removed as Lucknow Supergiants' captain, 2 stars finalised as replacements
Published - 27 Aug 2024, 03:37 PM | Updated - 28 Aug 2024, 11:13 AM
Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul is likely to step down as captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the IPL 2025 season.
However, KL Rahul is expected to remain with the Lucknow Super Giants for next year's tournament, according to the latest news reports.
Rahul had a disappointing IPL 2024 season. LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen having an animated chat with Rahul on the field after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The Lucknow team missed out on the playoffs for the first time, even though they secured seven wins in 14 matches.
The right-handed batter scored 520 runs in 14 matches at an average of 37.14 and a strike rate of 136.12, which is below modern-day cricket standards.
He played with a slow batting approach, especially in the powerplay, which prevented the Lucknow Super Giants from getting flying starts.
Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran in Race for LSG Captaincy - Report
According to an IANS report, KL Rahul will not be the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming IPL season.
The former Indian skipper has made the decision to focus more on his batting. However, the new captain of the Lucknow team for the IPL 2025 season has not yet been decided.
The report added that the Lucknow Super Giants franchise has confirmed that Rahul will be retained for the upcoming IPL season.
However, the captaincy role is still undecided, with Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran being the main contenders for the position.
“The meeting was official with the CEO Sanjiv Goenka on Monday, the captaincy and retention topics 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 will not be seen captaining the side,” sources close to the Lucknow-based franchise told IANS.
“We are still exploring the captaincy option but with BCCI agreeing on player retention conditions we have two players (Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Poran) in the race,” he added.
KL Rahul Last Played T20I Match During T20 World Cup 2022
LSG has not made an official statement on KL Rahul. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not revealed the number of players a franchise can retain for the IPL 2025 mega auction. KL Rahul, who was bought for Rs 17 crore last season, may cost more if retained as a first-choice player.
There have been rumors that Rahul could join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) if the Lucknow Super Giants do not retain him. Rahul would enter the auction pool again if he is not retained by LSG. The 32-year-old last played for India in a T20I match against England in the T20 World Cup 2022.
