New Delhi: Veteran batsman KL Rahul has said that he wants to play in a balanced environment where he gets a chance to play with complete freedom. Along with this, Rahul has also expressed his opinion about joining RCB. Rahul was released by Lucknow Super Giants and now he is waiting for the mega auction. Recently, Lucknow franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka had expressed his desire to retain players in the team who have a “winning mentality” and who “value the team before their personal aspirations and goals.” Did this statement in any way inspire Rahul’s desire to go to the auction?
Responding to this question, Rahul said in an interview to Star Sports on November 12, “No, I think the decision was already taken and I don’t know what was said in that statement, but it probably came only after the retention was announced. I felt that I wanted to make a fresh start, explore my options and play where I get some freedom and the team environment is more balanced.”
“There is already a lot of pressure in the IPL. When you look at Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings and other teams, it is clear that when they win or lose, they maintain a balance and the dressing room atmosphere is very calm. This is very important for me as a player. I think if there is such an atmosphere, all the players get the best opportunity to perform at their best.”
Kahlu said, “Captaincy is not so important for me that everything will be decided by it. I just want to be a part of a team in which there is a good environment. Where you get love, care and respect and in that environment everyone in the franchise has the same goal – to win. If that is the case, then it will be an ideal situation for me.”
He said, “We tried to create that kind of atmosphere in LSG first with Andy Flower (head coach) and GG (Gautam Gambhir, mentor) and then last year with the new head coach Justin Langer. I think the dressing room atmosphere was fantastic. But sometimes you need to move on to find something better for yourself.”
Rahul led LSG to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. When asked about IPL 2024, Rahul indicated that external pressure could be the reason for his decline in performance. After starting with a defeat against Rajasthan Royals, he won three matches in a row, but then his team faltered in the middle of the season. After this his performance kept declining. However, during this time Rahul was the top scorer of his team, scoring 520 runs with a strike rate of 136.12.
However, despite scoring so many runs, there was doubt whether Rahul would remain with the team or not. The biggest reason for this was that after a match played against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league stage, there was a heated argument between Rahul and Goenka, which was clearly visible in the video.
He said, “There are always ups and downs in the game. You have to keep your composure and keep performing consistently. Travel, external events, pressure – all of that happens every year. But this season it felt like it was too much and I think it affected the team, and we didn’t perform when it really mattered.”
Kahlu said that IPL captaincy is not the most important thing for him at the moment, but playing in a “good environment” is more important. “I will never go and ask anyone about captaincy. If you feel that my leadership skills are enough and you see something good in my style of playing cricket and the way I carry myself, then of course I am happy to captain,” Rahul said when asked about IPL captaincy.
“But captaincy is not so important for me that it decides everything going forward. I just want to be part of a team that has a good environment. Where you get love, care and respect and in that environment, everybody in the franchise has the same goal – to win. If that is the case, then that would be an ideal situation for me.”
There is a buzz on social media about a possible reunion with his home team Royal Challengers Bangalore. While Rahul is not ruling out the possibility of joining any team, it is no secret which team he has a special connection with. He said, “I enjoyed playing in RCB the most. That team is like home to me. You can spend a lot of time at home, and I know the Chinnaswamy Stadium very well. I grew up playing there.”
When asked about going back to RCB, Rahul said, “Yes, absolutely, as I said, it is like home to me and people there know me as a local Kannada boy, and it would be nice to go back there and get an opportunity again.
