KL Rahul – Central News Hub

Rahul’s IPL 2025 Gamble

During the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, to be held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Rahul will be seeking a new team for himself to resurrect his fortunes in T20s…reports Asian Lite News

Right-handed batter K.L. Rahul said the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will give him the platform to enjoy his cricket and eventually make a comeback into the India T20I team. After the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup, Rahul hasn’t played for India in the shortest format.

Rahul has so far played 72 T20Is for India since his debut in 2016, amassing 2,265 runs at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 139.12, including two centuries and 22 fifties. Rahul captained Lucknow Super Giants from the IPL 2022 to 2024 seasons, with the team entering playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Rahul made 1410 runs, making him the team’s leading run-getter in three seasons, before not being retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 season. During the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, to be held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Rahul will be seeking a new team for himself to resurrect his fortunes in T20s.

“I have been out of the T20 team for a while and I know where I stand as a player and I know what I need to do to get back, so I’ll look forward to this IPL season to give me that platform where I can go back and enjoy my cricket and my aim is to obviously get back into the Indian T20 team,” said Rahul in a promo video posted by Star Sports on their ‘X’ account.

He also talked about why he entered the mega auction pool. “I wanted to start fresh. I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom, where the team atmosphere could be something lighter. Sometimes you need to move away and find something good for yourself.”

Rahul will be next seen in action when India play the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener against Australia on November 22 in Perth. With captain Rohit Sharma, not a certainty to play the game in Perth, Rahul is in contention to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, with uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran being the other opening option.

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KL Rahul set to miss Dharamshala Test

Ahead of the second Test at Visakhapatnam, the BCCI had said in a statement that Rahul would be missing the match due to complaining of pain in right quadriceps….reports Asian Lite News

KL Rahul, who hasn’t played after the first Test against England at Hyderabad, is reportedly in London to consult a specialist for a quadriceps injury and is all set to miss the fifth Test at Dharamshala, starting on March 7.

Ahead of the second Test at Visakhapatnam, the BCCI had said in a statement that Rahul would be missing the match due to complaining of pain in right quadriceps. But a report in ESPNCricinfo says Rahul is currently in London to consult a specialist for the quadricep tendon injury that ruled him out of action after the series opener at Hyderabad, where he made 86 and 22.

Rahul had been named in India’s squad for the last three Tests, subject to fitness clearance. But he didn’t play the third Test in Rajkot, as the BCCI said Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the Medical Team, with an aim to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test.

But Rahul didn’t play the Ranchi Test, with the BCCI saying participation in the final Test match in Dharamshala is subject to fitness. The report also said Rahul continued to complain of stiffness in right leg despite the scans conducted by NCA not showing any red flags. ““Rahul is understood to have spoken to the selectors to update them about the same. Once the specialist in London provides a report, Rahul needs to get a clearance from NCA before resuming cricket,” it added.

The report also said his IPL team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who have Rahul as their captain, are aware of his progress and are optimistic about his availability for IPL 2024 which begins from March 22. LSG play their first match of the tournament against Rajasthan Royals in an afternoon match at Jaipur on March 24.

Last year, Rahul underwent surgery after tearing a tendon in his right thigh while fielding for Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 1. That caused him to mis rest of the IPL, as well as the World Test Championship final.

He made a return to cricket in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup and went on to be a pivotal figure in India’s runners-up finish in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup at home, making 452 runs in 11 matches and effecting 17 dismissals as a wicket-keeper.

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