Senior Indian cricketer KL Rahul has made the decision to part ways with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after serving as their captain for three seasons since their debut in 2022.
Despite LSG's willingness to retain Rahul, even in the top bracket, the wicketkeeper-batter has chosen to move on for personal and professional reasons.
A report from The Times of India revealed that Rahul met with LSG team owner Sanjiv Goenka at the RPSG House in Alipore, Kolkata on 26 August, sparking speculation that the 32-year-old might reconsider his decision to leave the franchise.
However, it was later confirmed that Rahul has indeed chosen to leave the team that appointed him as captain prior to the 2022 mega auction.
“LSG were ready to offer top retention bracket to Rahul, but Rahul eventually decided to move on due to personal and professional reasons,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.
Under Rahul's leadership, LSG reached the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons but unfortunately finished seventh earlier this year, despite winning seven matches and losing just as many.
LSG owner Goenka publicly criticized captain Rahul after the team's devastating 10-wicket loss at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This led to speculation that Rahul's tenure as captain may be coming to an end.
Prior to joining LSG, Rahul played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for two seasons, including their runner-up finish in 2016. He also represented SRH in 2014 and 2015.
Rahul's longest tenure was with the Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab), where he played for four seasons from 2018 to 2021. He was appointed captain for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, with the team finishing sixth both times.
Given his experience leading two franchises and consistently being among the top run-scorers, despite some concerns about his strike rate, several teams are likely to consider recruiting Rahul, possibly as captain, in the upcoming mega auction.
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