Former Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul has opened up on his time with the franchise. Rahul, who led LSG in three seasons from 2022 to 2024, was released by the franchise ahead of the mega auctions for IPL 2025.
Rahul led the Super Giants to playoffs in their first two seasons in 2022 and 2023 before enduring a middling season and finishing seventh in the 10-team table in 2024. In a video interview titled 'KL Rahul Unplugged', the former Lucknow skipper opened up on his experience of working with LSG and building them from scratch.
"It was an amazing experience to start a team from scratch. I was a part of auction strategy all three years. I had a say in everything that happened in the franchise. I played a part in building a team along with Flower and Gambhir. We didn’t have big names but found a to win and go to the playoffs. Those two years are something that I am very proud of," Rahul said.
Rahul also opened up on his departure from the Lucknow team. "I felt like I wanted to start fresh, explore options, play well and find some freedom. You see teams like GT and CSK and you see that they are balanced if they win or lose. That environment gives the players best platform to perform. We did that with Flower, Gambhir and Langer," the former skipper added.
When Rahul was released from the team, the franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka clarified the mindset of the team while retaining the players. "It was a simple mindset to go in for players, who have a mindset to win, who put the team before their personal goals and personal aspirations," said Sanjiv Goenka.
"Our first retention which was an automatic choice, happened within like less than two minutes. We have two uncapped retentions, Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni. It was a process that Zaheer Khan, Justin Langer and the analyst and the CEO engaged in.
"We have went with three bowlers from previous seasons, all Indians. Pooran was a no-brainer for everyone. Ayush has done well for us at No.6 or No.7," he said.
