IPL 2025: With retention uncertain and stocks on the downfall, what's next for KL Rahul?

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KL Rahul and his T20 form, along with the strike rate, has a curious case to study and follow in Indian cricket. For long, his numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been debated and he has even lost his place in India's T20I team since the semifinal loss to England at the T20 World Cup 2022. But his IPL future is also in doubt, especially after his alleged heated conversation with Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka following the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL 2024.

Rahul's meeting with the LSG owner at the franchise's Kolkata office on Monday is the reason why his IPL future is trending at the moment. BCCI is yet to come up with a retention policy ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction and hence, it is still not clear whether LSG is interested in retaining their skipper. But Rahul calling on the owner Sanjiv Goenka has triggered different possibilities with some even suggesting that the cricketer was seeking clarity around his retention for the next season.

"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. 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," an IPL Governing Council member, privy to developments in LSG, told PTI.

For now, it is not clear if LSG will retain the 32-year-old but even if the franchise decides to do so, he might not be the first player to get retained. If previous retention policies are taken into consideration, the first player to get retained generally gets around Rs 15 crore. Rahul was secured by LSG for Rs 17 crore in IPL 2022 and paid him the said amount for three seasons. 

On current form though, Rahul is certainly not going to get such a big amount. His performance in IPL 2024 was decent overall having amassed 520 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 136.13. But his style of play at the start of the innings time and again came under the scanner. 

KL Rahul's performance for LSG

Moreover, his stocks are on the downfall when it comes to his international career. He is unlikely to get picked in India's T20I team again having last played in November 2022 while he wasn't in great form in India's recent ODI series loss at the hands of Sri Lanka. In Tests, Rishabh Pant is expected to make a comeback after a long layoff and it is unclear if Rahul will be seen as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the team.

What if LSG doesn't retain KL Rahul?

The dynamics in the IPL auction change pretty quickly and there is a possibility that LSG will not retain KL Rahul. What happens then? Where will the Karnataka batter go next? There have been several reports of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) being interested in him but nothing is confirmed as of yet. With age not on the side of Faf du Plessis, RCB will need a captain and returning to his home franchise could provide a new lease of life for Rahul in the shortest format. However, there will be more clarity only after the retention policy comes forward.

KL Rahul's record as LSG captain in IPL?

Among other teams, Punjab Kings will also be on the lookout for a captain but KL Rahul willingly left the franchise after IPL 2021 and made a move to LSG. In this case, will Punjab go after the same player again in the auction? This is the big question.

Once a captaincy contender across all formats for India, KL Rahul will now play in the Duleep Trophy to save his place in the Test team while it is not clear yet if he is a certainty for India in the Champions Trophy squad. In this situation, it remains to be seen if LSG or any other franchise will be planning to invest a massive amount in him for the next three years, forget making him the captain of the team.