KL Rahul might be the most sought-after player at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Released by the Lucknow Super Giants, many believe that Rahul would return to his old franchise, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). With a need for a captain and opener to replace Faf du Plessis, getting Rahul back would make a lot of sense. But RCB won’t be the only franchise that’ll go hard after Rahul.
Bidding war for KL Rahul at IPL 2025 auction?
Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar believes three IPL franchises from the south, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and RCB, would want a piece of the wicketkeeper batter. He expects RCB to be the most willing to get Rahul but won’t be shocked if a bidding war starts at the IPL 2025 mega auction for him between CSK and RCB.
“I do believe that the two south franchises, Bengaluru as well as Chennai, will go for KL Rahul. Maybe even Hyderabad will go, but Bangalore is of course KL Rahul’s hometown. So clearly I think he will be enthused, he will be encouraged, and will want to play in front of his home crowd. So Bengaluru might go for KL Rahul,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
What makes KL Rahul desirable?
Rahul often gets criticised for his lack of intent, but it seems he’s made a willing choice to bat slow. Having played for slightly weaker batting teams since leaving RCB, the batter from Karnataka had decided that he’d anchor the innings rather than being aggressive all the way through. He might have shed his approach now, as he recently talked about playing with freedom going forward.
If that’s the case, who wouldn’t want a player who has 10 years of experience in the IPL, has captained two franchises, and scored over 4500 runs? One mustn’t forget that he’s a seasoned opener and a good enough wicketkeeper as well. At this stage of his career, he’s ready to lead a big franchise.
KL Rahul’s IPL record by franchise
| Team | Span | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucknow Super Giants | 2022-24 | 38 | 1410 | 41.47 | 130.62 | 2 | 10 |
| Punjab Kings | 2018-2021 | 55 | 2548 | 56.62 | 139.76 | 2 | 23 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2013 & 2016 | 14 | 417 | 37.90 | 145.29 | 0 | 4 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2014-15 | 16 | 308 | 23.69 | 106.20 | 0 | 0 |
