KL Rahul, a top cricketer known for his skills in both batting and wicketkeeping, will continue to play for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he will not be the team’s captain. According to IANS, Rahul decided to step down from the captaincy to focus more on his batting performance. It is not yet clear who will take over as captain for the 2025 IPL season. Insiders from the Lucknow team have confirmed that Rahul will stay with the team, but his role as captain is still undecided. Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran are among the contenders for the captaincy.
“An official meeting took place with CEO Sanjiv Goenka on Monday, where the topics of captaincy and player retention were discussed. Rahul is not expected to be the captain in the next season as he wants to concentrate on his batting. Goenka fully supports Rahul and will keep him on the team, but he will not be the captain,” sources close to the Lucknow-based franchise stated.
On Monday, Rahul visited Goenka at his office in Alipore, Kolkata to talk about various matters. They had a lengthy conversation that lasted about four hours, after which Rahul headed to Bengaluru to join the National Cricket Academy and begin his practice for the Duleep Trophy.
Rahul is set to play for Team ‘A’, which is led by Shubman Gill.
There was a public disagreement between Rahul and Goenka, the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, after the team didn’t make it to the playoffs despite being in a strong position. Sources indicate that Goenka was displeased with Rahul’s leadership. Following the IPL, Rahul’s performance declined, and he was not selected for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that India won in Barbados. Rahul is now aiming to secure a spot in the Indian T20 team.