"I would never go and ask someone for it" - KL Rahul gets candid on captaining in the IPL
Former Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul has claimed that he would never go and ask someone for captaincy. He reckons that if he proves himself to be good enough, the leadership responsibility will come to him.
Before leading LSG in the IPL for three seasons, the 32-year-old also captained Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a couple of years. While he failed to lead either of the two franchises to an IPL title, Rahul was the most consistent batter in both sides. His captaincy, however, came under a lot of scrutiny, especially in games where the team lost from a commanding position.
In an interview with Star Sports, Rahul shared his thoughts on the importance of leadership and opined that it is not a must for him. The experienced batter said:
"I would never go and ask someone for it. If you feel that my leadership skills are good enough and if you find something good in the way I play my cricket, in the way I handle myself, and the way I handled my team in the last four to five years... If you find it worthy, then of course I am happy to do it, but it's not something that is a make or break for me."
"I just want to be part of a team that has a good environment. You feel loved, cared and respected in that environment and everyone in the franchise has that one single goal - to win the IPL. If that's there, then that's the perfect fit for me," the right-handed batter went on to add.
Rahul has been captain in 64 IPL matches out of which his team has won 31 and lost as many games, while two contests have ended in a tie. The elegant batter has a win percentage of 48.43 in the T20 league.
"I have always been flexible" - KL Rahul willing to perform any role for his team
One of the advantages of having Rahul in any IPL side is the flexibility he offers. The soft-spoken cricketer can open the innings, bat in the middle order and keep wickets as well, apart from leading the team.
Asked about his preferred role, the Karnataka batter replied that he remains as flexible as ever.
"I have always been flexible in my head - whether it's opening, whether middle order, whether lower order, keeping, fielding. Any of it, I am okay with any role or any responsibility that is given to me."
Having been released by Lucknow Super Giants, Rahul has registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction in the highest base price category of ₹2 crore.