Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka broke his silence on the ongoing rumors surrounding the retention of franchise captain KL Rahul. The statement came after a meeting between Goenka and Rahul at the RPSG Group founder and chairman's office in Kolkata.
Earlier this year, during the IPL 2024 season, a video from the LSG dugout went viral, showing Goenka engaged in a discussion with Rahul after a heavy loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The cricketing community criticized Goenka for his actions, leading to speculation about Rahul's future with the franchise. However, the incident was later clarified as a candid discussion between the owner and captain, followed by a dinner hosted by Goenka.
Despite Goenka's efforts to clarify the situation, rumors persisted about a strained relationship between him and Rahul, with the possibility of Rahul not being retained for the 2025 IPL season. Reports even suggested that Rahul's former franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was interested in signing him.
In response to the growing speculation, Goenka addressed the potential retention of Rahul but chose to keep the suspense alive.
"I don’t want to comment on speculation. All I will say is KL Rahul is family," he was quoted by Revsportz on Wednesday.
Rahul, who is no longer a part of India's T20 format, joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022 and successfully led the team to the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Despite their failure to secure a hat-trick in 2024, critics attributed the team's success in 2022 and 2023 to Gautam Gambhir's strategic leadership. Gambhir, however, left LSG to join the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.
Recently, it was reported by PTI that LSG did not confirm Rahul's retention in the franchise, even after the player expressed his desire to stay, due to the lack of clarity from the BCCI regarding the rules for the upcoming auction.
"Yes, Rahul came to Kolkata and met Dr Goenka at RPG head office. He has clearly told Dr Goenka that he wants to be retained. However, till BCCI comes up with retention policy, LSG management wouldn't want to chalk out their plans," an IPL Governing Council member, privy to developments in LSG, told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"Look, Rahul wants retention but till LSG knows how many are to be retained and what's the new purse, they can't commit anyone," the IPL source said.
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