The IPL retention list is out and on expected lines, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has released KL Rahul before the IPL 2025 auction. When LSG lost last season’s league stage match against SRH, we saw the visuals of LSG captain KL Rahul and owner Sanjiv Goenka in which the latter was seen animated over a humiliating loss by the team. After that, the reports in the media suggested that Rahul might not continue with the LSG franchise and when the retention list was out, it was clear that now KL Rahul will feature in the IPL 2025 auction.
The LSG owner Goenka cleared all the rumors that all was well between him and Rahul, but things were not looking good between the two. Also, during the event in which the franchise announced Zaheer Khan as their new mentor, Goenka called Rahul ‘family’. But now, the Indian batter will not be seen in the LSG colors as the franchise is unlikely to go for an RTM (Right to Match) for Rahul.
After LSG’s exit, Rahul will now look for a new team in the IPL 2025. Today, we will see the three possible teams that could target KL Rahul in the IPL 2025 auction. So let’s dive into it quickly.
3 teams who could target KL Rahul in the IPL 2025 auction
(1) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
RCB might be the best possibility for KL Rahul in the next season. There are a few reasons why RCB could target KL Rahul in the IPL 2025 auction. First of all, RCB has released their captain Faf du Plessis. They are now searching for a new captain and what could be a better option than KL Rahul?
Faf du Plessis is not getting younger and RCB is unlikely to use an RTM card for him in the auction. They will look for someone who could serve them for a longer time. KLR is a good option for RCB as their next captain if Virat Kohli won’t lead the team again.
Also, he has played for RCB in the past and has a good bond with Virat. He can bat in the top order, in place of Faf du Plessis so both the purpose will be solved; captaincy and top order batter.
Another reason would be a big purse of RCB in the auction. RCB has only retained three players Virat Kohli (INR 21 CR), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 CR), and Yash Dayal (INR 5 CR), and spent only INR 37 CR. They will have the 2nd biggest purse during the IPL 2025 auction; INR 83 CR. So they can easily go all out for Rahul in the auction.
(2) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR might also go for Rahul as they are also looking for a new captain. The franchise will see a revamp in the squad and in the support staff in the next IPL (Indian Premier League) season. They have retained 6 players as their core group including Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana (uncapped), Varun Chakravarthy, and Ramandeep Singh (uncapped).
KKR has released their captain Shreyas Iyer and Rahul could be a good option for them. Rahul has enough experience in leading IPL franchises and captained Punjab and Lucknow over the years. He can also bat down the order if the team needs it. Rahul has been batting in the middle order for India in the ODIs and has batted in the middle order for SRH and RCB during his initial playing days.
The only problem KKR might face is the budget. They have filled all 6 spots in the retention list and have only remained with INR 50 CR purse. KKR has only spent INR 57 CR but the minimum amount of 6 retention (INR 70 CR) will be deducted from their purse. We can expect a big amount of INR 12-15 CR for Rahul in the auction. If KKR spent the big amount on Rahul, they wouldn’t have the luxury of spending too much on other big players as the minimum squad number has to be maintained.
(3) Punjab Kings (PBKS)
It might be a homecoming for KL Rahul in the IPL 2025. He has played for PBKS in the past as well and has good relations with the franchise owners. Rahul has led the team as well and made so many runs as well. Their strike rate might be a question mark sometimes, but he can play shots and keep up their strike rate.
With Shikhar Dhawan not going in PBKS again, the franchise will now look at Rahul as their new captain who could play in the top order as well. PBKS struggled to find a regular opener in the last two seasons and Rahul might solve this problem for them.
PBKS will go with the highest purse amount (INR 110.5 CR) in the IPL 2025 auction. They have only spent INR 9.5 CR and retained two uncapped players in Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 CR) and Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4 CR).
Conclusion
So these are the three teams who could go for Rahul in the IPL 2025 auction. All three teams require a captain and a top-order batter. The Indian right-handed batter could also go in the other franchises as a player. An interesting IPL 2025 mega auction is coming up on our way.
↻ IPL 2025: List of Players Who Were Never Released By IPL Franchises
FAQs:-
(1) How many runs Rahul has scored for PBKS in the IPL?
He has played for PBKS in 4 seasons (2018-21) and has scored 2548 runs in 55 games.
(2) How many runs Rahul has scored for LSG in the IPL?
Rahul has scored 1410 runs for LSG in 38 IPL games. He played for the franchise for three years (2022-24). The batter missed the later part of IPL 2023 due to injury and only played nine games in the season.
