Lucknow Super Giants faced a disappointing season in IPL 2024 under their captain, KL Rahul. They finished seventh, with seven wins and seven losses. The camp saw many discussions, but one particular chat became the talk of the town and that is animated conversation between LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka and KL Rahul after their 10-wicket loss to SRH. Since then, many reports have emerged questioning whether KL Rahul will stay with LSG for IPL 2025 or will the franchise will retain him.
Although nothing has been confirmed yet, LSG recently mentioned they are waiting to see how the retention policy will be structured. Amid all this fuss, is there any chance that LSG may neither retain nor release KL Rahul but instead trade him, as trading players between teams has become a common practice in the IPL.
Although it is important to mention that trading usually doesn’t happen around mega auctions,but if it were to happen, which players should LSG target in exchange for KL Rahul? Let’s take a look at three big names who could potentially play for LSG in IPL 2025 in place of Rahul.
Players LSG could trade KL Rahul for ahead of IPL 2025 auction
Rohit Sharma
The first and foremost name facing a similar situation is Rohit Sharma. Still, nothing is clear. A few rumors came weeks back that the LSG management had kept ₹50 crore to acquire Rohit Sharma, although the management later dismissed these rumors. From a game perspective, though, we may see a trade. Since last IPL, just like KL Rahul’s future became a topic of discussion, Rohit Sharma’s IPL future has also garnered a lot of attention. It was speculated that Rohit might leave MI, something Mumbai Indians would never want.
However, the ongoing talks suggest there could be weight to the rumors of Rohit leaving MI. If this is the case, the franchise might prefer to trade Rohit Sharma rather than release him. For LSG, it would be the icing on the cake, as they would not only get a star batter but also a captain.
Shreyas Iyer
Can we see Shreyas Iyer leading LSG? It could be possible. A month ago, there were talks about KKR looking to trade Shreyas Iyer and eyeing MI’s Suryakumar Yadav. However, those rumors didn’t last long, with the franchises denying any action. Iyer, who is currently going through a rough patch with the bat, might be released, despite being an IPL-winning captain.
Although there are no reports specifically about Iyer, with KL Rahul being a top-order batter and captain, similar to Iyer’s role for KKR, we can speculate that Shreyas Iyer could be a perfect fit for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025.
Will Jacks
Last but not least, Australia’s Cameron Green, who plays for RCB in the IPL, could also be involved. When we talk about KL Rahul, we can’t ignore the possibility of him being linked with RCB, as he was part of this franchise from 2013 to 2016 and is certainly not new to the camp. Speculation is building that the current RCB captain, Faf du Plessis, who will turn 41, may not be retained due to his age. Also, with Dinesh Karthik’s retirement, RCB will need a wicketkeeper.
According to current reports, RCB might eye Rahul for this role, and there are numerous speculations suggesting that KL Rahul could return to RCB, possibly via trade. In this case, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green could be traded, providing LSG with a strong all-rounder option that could benefit the team. This trade seems quite possible.
