Star batsman KL Rahul’s evasive stance has left the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the dark over the batsman’s future with the franchise.

There have been numerous reports suggesting that KL Rahul’s season with the Lucknow Super Giants is almost over and he will put his name in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.

KL Rahul has been LSG’s best player with Bat

Rahul was signed by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in his debut season in the drafts ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction.

KL Rahul was bought for INR 17 crore and along with him they signed all-rounder Marcus Stoinis for INR 9.2 crore and player Ravi Bishnoi for INR 4 crore.

Rahul, who had just moved from Punjab Kings, did an excellent job for LSG in his first season and was wonderful as a captain and batsman. In 15 matches, he scored 616 runs at an astonishing average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 135.38. He helped LSG qualify for the playoffs, but they lost in Eliminator.

In IPL 2023, Rahul played only 9 matches and scored 274 runs at an average of 34.25 and a strike rate of 113.22 before being ruled out of the entire competition. LSG also had the same faith in that season, as they lost the Qualifiers.

KL Rahul returned to the team for the IPL 2024 season and once again had a good season with the bat. He scored 520 runs at an average of 37.14 and a strike rate of 136.12. This time, however, Lucknow Super Giants did not make it to the playoffs and finished in seventh place.

In total, Rahul has played 38 matches for the Lucknow Super Giants and has scored 1410 runs at an average of 41.47 and a strike rate of 130.67, which has been widely criticised. Notably, he is the only LSG batsman with more than 1000 runs for the team.

KL Rahul was hit by Sanjiv Goenka in IPL 2024

Lucknow Super Giants faced a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 8 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad in IPL 2024.

After the match, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen brutally beating Rahul on the field. He was caught on camera having a heated chat with Rahul and head coach Justin Langer. This act by the team owner did not please the fans, who criticized him for his behavior.

After the incident, several cricketers, LSG stars and coaches spoke about it, with some reports even claiming that the franchise was not happy with Rahul’s captaincy.

KL Rahul’s evasive stance leaves LSG in the dark

Meanwhile, according to a recent report by ESPNcricinfo, KL Rahul is all set to part ways with Lucknow Super Giants and take part in the IPL mega auction.

Recently, during an event in Kolkata where Zaheer Khan was officially introduced as the new mentor of LSG, Sanjiv Goenka said that Rahul is like family to them, but did not confirm his retention.

Now, according to the report, LSG and KL Rahul had a meeting where the batsman did not commit to accepting the offer if the franchise decided to retain him. Furthermore, the final decision in this regard will be made very soon.

“It is understood that during a recent meeting with LSG owners, Rahul had not given a commitment if a retention offer was made,” ESPNcricinfo reported.

All Indian Premier League franchises must submit the list of retained and released players to the governing council by October 31.