Will LSG, who were waiting to see how the IPL retention policy structure would unfold, now go for KL Rahul? Since the retention policy has now been announced and franchises are allowed to retain six players in the camp via the retention policy, every team gets an opportunity to build their core first and add benefits later at the IPL auction table. Rahul, who has proven himself to be an excellent wicketkeeper-batter, has amassed 4,000 runs from 132 games with a decent strike rate of 134.61.
Now he is also expected to be with LSG, but what will happen if he does not receive a retention letter? With no trading options available, there is a chance that he may go under the hammer, and if that happens, the auction is surely going to be interesting as a few teams will surely have their eyes on him. But which teams should target him at the IPL 2025 mega auction? Several big teams may go for him, as they also need players with such attributes.
Teams that may target KL Rahul at IPL 2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
There are many reasons why RCB should target KL Rahul. Primarily, he is a local Bengaluru boy and understands the M. Chinnaswamy conditions well. Second, he is not new to the camp; he played for RCB from 2013 to 2016 and did decent work with the bat, scoring 417 runs. Now, since many changes are expected at RCB, with Faf du Plessis unlikely to get retention—although nothing is confirmed, as franchises have time to think until 31 October, Dinesh Karthik is no longer associated with RCB as a player, which means there is an opening for a wicketkeeper batter. As mentioned, Rahul has done a wonderful job with his wicketkeeping, with 56 catches and seven impressive stumpings.
Summing up all the scenarios, we may see RCB doing everything to get this superstar once again. Not very long ago, there were rumors that Rahul might return to RCB, and those rumors may become true if LSG releases him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Mumbai Indians
Now, can we see some out-of-the-box teams raising their hands for this player at the IPL auction? One possible franchise is the five-time champion Mumbai Indians. Since Rohit Sharma’s future with MI is still uncertain, if he does not get retained or decides to leave MI, then the chances are that Rahul may come onto the radar of this champion camp.
Also, will Ishan Kishan get retained? The chances are now a little high. MI can first retain five players, and we expect Ishan’s name to be on that list. Still, the batting depth that MI could achieve by adding KL Rahul from the auction table would be huge. MI did not see success last season due to various reasons; one reason was their batting depth, or rather, the lack of consistency in batting. By getting Rahul in the mix, things could turn out well for this team.
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IPL 2025 starts on March 14, dates for next two seasons also out
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