IPL 2025 Auction: Which franchises are likely to bid for KL Rahul in the auction? Given KL Rahul's experience and batting prowess, several franchises may show interest in securing him as a key player for their squad.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction is beckoning and is one of the most anticipated cricketing events alongside the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). IPL retention took place a couple of weeks back that saw some interesting franchise decisions.
As a result, players who were expected to be retained by the respective franchises will now be at the auction, changing the entire complexion of the two-day mega event. One of the marquees who will be at the auction, unexpectedly, is KL Rahul.
The wicket-keeper batter who led the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last three seasons was among the players released by the franchise. With a truckload of experience, leadership capabilities, and prolific run-scoring at this level, he is a highly sought-after pick at the auction.
Rahul isn’t just a top-order India batter but is also a proven leader who can keep wickets. So teams who are looking for a skipper to lead their side and a wicket-keeper batter will want the 32-year-old in their ranks. However, to grab the service of such a utility player, teams might need to allocate a huge purse of their allotted money.
So which among the 10 franchises will likely have KL Rahul in their setup in IPL 2025? Let us analyse.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
The RCB franchise will go into the auction with the second largest purse (83 crores). Hence, they can afford to bid for one or more marquee players at full tilt in the upcoming auction.
It is not just the money; RCB require a player who will be part of their leadership and someone who can take this franchise forward in the years to follow. Also, Dinesh Karthik's departure has left a void in the wicket-keeper batter’s slot. A player like Rahul can fill the position.
So, it won’t be a surprise if RCB go hard for KL Rahul, given that the latter started his IPL career here and represented the team for two seasons. The last of which was in the eventful 2016 season, during which Rahul scored 397 runs in 12 innings. Also, the right-hander adds a local flavour to the franchise and is someone who will be popular among the large fanbase they have.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Another team that would like to have a player of his calibre on their side are Delhi Capitals. DC, who were led by Rishabh Pant in the previous season let go of him during the IPL retention. This leaves the Capitals without an experienced India top-order batter who can keep wickets as well as has leadership qualities.
He will add a lot of value to the side in all aspects of the game and could fit seamlessly in the DC scheme of things. Hence, there is none better than KL Rahul for DC to pursue at the auctions, provided they are not keen to have Pant back on their side.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
The relationship between KL Rahul and the LSG franchise hasn’t been the smoothest despite the fact the former was their captain for the last three seasons. In two of those editions, LSG reached the playoffs and just about missed the qualifications in the third. However, we saw an animated chat between LSG’s owner, Sanjeev Goenka, and KL Rahul towards the end of the IPL 2024 season.
It was clear that things weren’t that good among the two, on the expected lines, nonetheless. Rahul was released ahead of the auctions. Adding to the spice, Goenka said, “It was a simple mindset to go in with players who have a mindset to win, who put the team first before their personal goals and personal aspirations and we wanted to retain as much of the core we could,” post the retentions.
Given how things panned out, it is safe to assume LSG won’t be keen to have Rahul back on their side.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
With over 110 crores in their kitty, PBKS can boss and practically go after any player at the auctions. But one name they won’t be interested in would be KL Rahul, especially given the fact Ricky Ponting is their head coach. The latter is known for aggression on the field and would like someone who has an Aussie attitude to lead the side.
Rahul, despite scoring 2548 runs at 56.62 for PBKS may not be in the team’s scheme of things.
Some teams might require KL Rahul’s service but can’t afford him. Franchises like Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) do require an India wicketkeeper batter at the top of the order. In the case of KKR, they are also in search of a skipper at the auctions. However owing to their purse, these teams may not go the full tilt to acquire KL Rahul at the auctions.
With that being said, it will not be a surprise to see huge demand for Rahul at the upcoming auctions.
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