KL Rahul Takes Indirect Dig At LSG And PBKS Owners: 'Hard To Explain To People Who Come From A Non-Sporting Background'
India’s wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has opened up about the challenges of leading Indian Premier League (IPL) teams and why he eventually stepped away from captaincy roles at both Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) and Lucknow Super Giants. Rahul, who has captained 64 IPL matches across two franchises, admitted that leading in the IPL drained him more than captaining India.
Rahul’s fallout at Lucknow Super Giants became public after his on-field disagreement with team owner Sanjiv Goenka in IPL 2024. Following that incident, he decided to enter the mega auction and was later signed by Delhi Capitals. Before the retention list was finalised, rumours suggested that Rahul might join Kolkata Knight Riders and take over the leadership role, but those speculations proved false. In a conversation with presenter Jatin Sapru, Rahul explained why franchise captaincy took a toll on him.
Rahul said, “What I found hard as a captain in the IPL was the number of meetings that you needed to do, the number of reviews that you needed to do, and the number of things that you needed to explain at the ownership level. All of that is really like energy draining. So I realised at the end of IPL that I am more mentally and physically drained than after playing 10 months of international cricket.”
He further explained the constant questions and scrutiny he faced. Rahul added, “There are so many things. Coaches, captains, you’re just constantly being asked a lot of questions, and after a point, it almost feels like you’re being questioned as to why did you made this change. Why did Jatin play in the XI? Why is it that the opposition got 200 and we couldn’t even get 120? Why are their bowlers getting more spin?”
Rahul On Working With DC
Rahul also highlighted the difference between working with people who understand the sport and those who do not. He said, “I mean, these are questions that we never get asked through the year, right? Because the coaches who are there know what’s going on. You’re only answerable to the coach and the selectors who’ve all played cricket and understand the nuances of cricket and sport. No matter what you do and how many boxes you tick, there’s nothing in sport that guarantees victory. So that’s the hard part to explain to people who come from a non-sporting background.”
Rahul finds his rhythm at Delhi Capitals
After joining Delhi Capitals, Rahul rediscovered his T20 fluency. Batting across multiple positions, he delivered consistently and justified his value to the franchise. In 13 innings, Rahul scored 539 runs at an impressive average of 53.90. His tally included a century and three fifties, while his strike rate of 149.72 was his highest in any IPL season since 2018.
Following the retention announcement, DC head coach Hemang Badani confirmed that there had never been any doubt about retaining Rahul and praised him for adapting to various roles within the team.
