3 reasons why KL Rahul should move on from LSG for IPL 2025 season
The KL Rahul-Sanjiv Goenka saga is a unique one in the IPL. It's not often you see reports of an India international with one of the biggest brand values to reportedly approach a franchise owner asking him to retain him and discuss his captaincy future.
It's even rarer to see it happen a year after a video of their argument after a defeat went viral on social media, bringing immense support for the player and equally massive criticism for the owner. And then the owner hosting a press conference where he doesn't commit on the captain's future? Whoof.
Questioning Rahul for not showing enough self-respect is not right either; it's important to understand that he's 32 with only a few of his best years left and has built the team from its debut season. It's hard to let go in such situations.
But, below, we have tried to make a half-compelling case for why Rahul should move on any way. Check it out:
#3 It doesn't look like he has the owner's confidence
Goenka gave what seemed like mixed signals on Rahul in his press conference. He started by calling him family and the reports around their meeting over the top, but played safe in terms of commitment in retaining him and giving him captaincy in IPL 2025.
"We have all of September, October and November to decide that. Let the policies be out. We have not even thought about the team going forward, whether retention will be three-four-five or six, we have no clue," Goenka said.
Later, in the same presser, he spoke about how the coaching department will be the same with Zaheer Khan as the new addition. This begged the question -- if he could give clarity about the coaching staff, why would he not do the same for his captain?
Afterall, the captain is usually a team's first retention irrespective of how many retentions are allowed. And it's almost impossible to have a vision for the team without your captain nailed down.
How many franchises, if put in a similar position, would not take the opportunity to express confidence in the captain and the team for the next season amid speculations? The short answer is: not many.
Goenka still saying he's undecided means that Rahul doesn't enjoy similar confidence to his counterparts in other teams. This is not a good sign.
If he continues with LSG in IPL 2025, he'll do so with much more pressure than before. Even a few losses would not bring discussions about non-performing players but how Rahul should step down from captaincy.
With SunRisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings as the latest cases in point, a fluid situation in captaincy, with the chance of a mid-season change hanging around, is never good for the team or the players. Rahul should take this opportunity to leave before the situation gets worse for him.
#2 Fresh start would be tough but is important
You have to feel for the player. He hasn't performed upto the mark for India or in the IPL, especially with his batting at the top of the order, but he's still one of India's best batters and someone that the national selectors once heavily backed for full-time captaincy.
IPL 2025 was tough for LSG due to various reasons, including form of key players and injuries. But in the previous two, they qualified for the playoffs excellently -- which is not easy in your first two seasons in IPL.
Even for Rahul, who must have some attachment to a team he helped build from the ground up, it would be heartbreaking to even think of leaving the project. But at 32 years of age, it might be the right thing for him to do.
In just three years, theres's a lot of baggage on him here. The viral video of a supposed alteration with Goenka after a match last season would be hard to get out of public memory and so would be the awkwardly public dinner that followed.
That's not it: head coach Justin Langer coming out and revealing their personal chat about "politics" in Indian cricket is a dark spot too. Even on the field, Rahul has looked far from his best for LSG.
So, no matter how tough it would be, Rahul can do with a fresh start right now. Owners with complete trust in his abilities and decision-making, and coaches with whom he can share a bond that inspires his team is important for his career to get some stability it is craving for.
#1 Best time to switch teams
And finally, he won't get a better time to make the switch. A mega auction is coming up and teams will have to let go of both openers and wicketkeepers.
Rahul will be a marquee player in the auction and could get a good contract. More importantly, there could be some teams, like Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in need for a new captain or a vice-captain for their incumbents to take over from eventually.
When teams are looking to rebuild, being available in the auction will allow Rahul to be part of core plans. If he waits for another year and something goes wrong which makes him go into a mini auction, a lot more teams would not need wicketkeeper batters or openers, which will bring down his contract price and chances of getting into the leadership group.
And, again, at this stage of his career, when he's not a certain starter in any format for India, he can't afford instability and controversies. The time is the best possible, the push is there from the team, it's not just on Rahul to be courageous and take the right step for his career.