KL Rahul deemed fit for IPL 2024 by NCA; advised against keeping wickets for the time being - Reports
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul has been declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to partake in the upcoming 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The wicketkeeper-batter has been out of action since the first Test against England in Hyderabad, where he suffered an injury to his quadriceps.
Rahul had flown to the United Kingdom (UK) to make sure he did not aggravate the injury he sustained in 2023 during the IPL, which had required surgery. He had to miss the second half of the season for LSG and missed out on the World Test Championship (WTC) as well. He returned to fitness during the 2023 Asia Cup and ended up playing in the 2023 ODI World Cup as well.
Despite passing the fitness criteria, the NCA has recommended that Rahul should not be taking up wicketkeeping duties just yet. The LSG skipper usually does not keep wickets, with Quinton de Kock and Nicholas Pooran taking on the gloves in each of the last two seasons.
“He is fit and can join the IPL franchise in the coming days. He suffered pain in the quadriceps and got an injection too. He went through his rehabilitation and the NCA has now declared him fit. However, he has been advised not to take on the wicket-keeping role immediately,” a source in the Indian board told the Indian Express.
Although he will certainly be playing as a specialist batter in IPL 2024, it is yet to be seen where Rahul plays in the LSG batting order. Speculations suggest that the skipper is ready to bat in the middle order to make a case for himself in the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.
KL Rahul set to join the LSG squad soon
LSG have commenced preparations for the upcoming season under the new-look coaching staff, assembled following the departures of Andy Flower and Gautam Gambhir. The majority of the squad has been training over the last few days, and the skipper will also be joining the camp pretty soon.
Rahul might have to attend the pre-IPL Captains Conclave in Chennai on Thursday, March 21, before joining up with his teammates.
LSG will kickstart their IPL 2024 campaign against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, March 24.