Overview:
The Indian Premier League has long been a beacon of hope and a credible stage where true talent meets deserved opportunity. Since its inception in 2008, the league has been steadfast in its commitment to nurturing the future of Indian cricket by scouting and honing the skills of those youngsters who have consistently excelled in the domestic circuit.
KL Rahul is one such prodigy who rose to prominence as a flamboyant match-winner with his hard-hitting batting displays in the league. Rahul is one of the few Indian batters with more than 3 centuries in the coveted tournament and many more match-winning knocks under his belt.
Why KL Rahul keeps changing teams while other IPL legends stay put?
With his incredible performances, Rahul has proved his mettle as a seasoned T20 batter and has subsequently evolved into a stalwart of modern-day cricket. Yet, unlike his contemporaries such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya, who have played for a handful of IPL teams owing to their consistent performances, Rahul, on the contrary, has struggled to cement his position within any of the teams he’s represented during the course of his IPL career.
KL has already played for four franchises in the league, which includes the likes of RCB, SRH, PBKS, and his current team, LSG. If the latest rumors are to be believed, he might just be on his quest to find himself a new franchise ahead of IPL 2025.
Let’s dive deeper into the intriguing odyssey of KL Rahul’s IPL journey and try to discover as to why KL Rahul keeps changing teams while other IPL legends stay put?
Rahul’s initial days in the league:
Rahul’s journey in the league began way back in 2013 when the Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him at his modest base price of Rs.10 Lakhs. However, he found himself sidelined by the RCB management, as they were keen on prioritizing their existing playing XI and gave Rahul an opportunity only when anyone amongst them was unavailable . With limited opportunities, Rahul was unable to capitalize on his debut season in the league to its fullest potential.
Ahead of IPL 2014, Rahul parted ways with RCB and was subsequently signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad at a significant markup of Rs. 1 Crore. Despite securing a lucrative deal, Rahul couldn’t leverage this newfound opportunity and failed to generate any memorable performances in SRH’s middle order. During his lackluster stint with SRH, spanning 20 matches across two seasons, his batting average could never breach the 30 threshold mark, which honestly is quite miserable in modern-day T20 cricket. Despite numerous chances, Rahul failed to register a single half-century during his time with SRH and was consequently released by the franchise ahead of IPL 2016.
Rahul’s majestic comeback in 2016:
IPL 2016 witnessed KL Rahul’s homecoming with the Karnataka power hitter returning to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. This season proved to be pivotal juncture in Rahul’s career, not only resurrecting his IPL career but also catapulting him into the scene of international cricket. In one of this tweets replying to his fans, Rahul had quoted: “It’s got to be the 2016 season with RCB which was a career defining season for me and people saw the potential in me in white ball cricket”.
Here is the link to Rahul’s recalling his 2016 triumph:
In the 2016 season Rahul went on to score a whopping 397 runs featuring 4 half-centuries and many more match-winning knocks. KL’s exceptional batting prowess and impeccable match reading skills captured the imagination of millions of fans across the globe, leading him to become a nation-wide sensation.
Unfortunately, Rahul had to pull out of the 2017 edition of the league owing to a shoulder injury that he had sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. This setback dealt a significant blow to Rahul’s burgeoning T20 career, which was poised for takeoff after a triumphant run in 2016.
Rahul’s move to Punjab:
2018 was the year of IPL Mega Auctions- an opportunity for every team to start from scratch and create a core team with long term goals in mind. In these auctions every team is given the opportunity to retain a maximum of 3 players, thereby creating a level playing field for the comparatively weaker teams. RCB’s retention list ahead of the mega auctions was a major jaw dropper for the Bangalore fans as the roster had no mention of RCB’s new found talent- KL Rahul. RCB management decided to go ahead and retain the then youngster- Sarfaraz Khan instead of a seasoned T20 batter like Rahul.
It was later discovered that RCB management were keen on acquiring Rahul in the auction via the Right to Match route. Despite RCB’s intention to reclaim Rahul through the Right to Match option, their plans were thwarted by Kings XI Punjab’s staggering bid of Rs. 11 Crores, rendering RCB’s strategy unfeasible.
His journey as Punjab Captain:
The year 2018 marked another significant dissociation in Rahul’s IPL career, with the premiere batter moving his game from Bangalore to Punjab. Despite the odds stacked up against him Rahul didn’t let the pressure get onto him and eventually smashed a bountiful 659 runs in the 2018 edition.
KL was very much in the running for the prestigious Orange Cap, awarded to the batsman with the highest runs in an IPL season, and would have undoubtedly secured it had the Kings qualified for the Play-offs in that edition. He ended up as the third highest run getter in the league, losing out the second spot to Rishabh Pant by a meagre 25 runs. Since then there has been no looking back for the then prodigy from Bangalore. Rahul continued to play for Preity Zinta’s franchise for the next three seasons and was subsequently handed the reigns of the team in 2020.
During his tenure as the captain Rahul adopted a holistic approach by advocating for the franchise’s rebranding from Kings XI to Punjab Kings, Rahul later clarified that his objective through this paradigm shifting move was to inculcate a sense of camaraderie and togetherness in the team’s dressing by emphasizing that the team extends beyond the 11 players on the field.
Over his four-year tenure with Punjab, Rahul amassed a mammoth total of over 2600 runs, maintaining a stellar batting average of 55. He clinched the prestigious Orange Cap once in 2020 and remained a strong contender for the accolade in nearly every season since 2018.
Hardik Pandya receiving the Orange Cap on KL Rahul’s behalf in the post match presentation of IPL 2020 Finals
Rahul’s Final move to LSG:
Leading up to the 2022 Mega Auctions, Punjab Kings surprised their fans by releasing Rahul, despite his stellar performance with the franchise. However, it was later revealed that Rahul personally opted to participate in the auctions in order to explore better opportunities in the league.
According to certain media reports back then, it was anticipated that the then new IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants had offered Rahul a lucrative deal which later turned out to be true as Rahul was signed by the RPG group led franchise at a whopping Rs. 17 Crore. This landmark deal gave Rahul’s career a massive impetus making him the joint highest-paid Indian player in IPL history alongside Virat Kohli.
Here is the link to PBKS’ revelation of KL Rahul’s decision to leave Punjab:
Since their very first season, Rahul has been the captain and integral part of LSG’s think tank. His performance as LSG captain has been quite impressive, as he has led the team to two play offs in both the seasons that they have featured in. However, despite a commendable journey in this year’s IPL, the team appears to lack confidence and is yet to secure a playoff berth.
LSG suffered a humiliating defeat in their last outing against SRH after which the team’s owner was seen publicly reprimanding KL Rahul for his perceived lapse in his strategy. Since the infamous incident, there have been talks of Rahul stepping down from the position of LSG captain and even leaving the franchise ahead of IPL 2025.
Why KL Rahul keeps changing teams while other IPL legends stay put?
I hope that through this blogpost, I have been able to elucidate the string of mishaps that plagued KL Rahul’s IPL journey.
Here is the link to the full video of the uneventful incidents that transpired post match presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0JgAMFkBXs
The series of events in KL Rahul’s IPL career serve as a poignant testament to the harsh nature of franchise cricket, reinforcing the fact that a single poor performance can potentially be a make-or-break moment, even for seasoned stalwarts like KL Rahul.
These tumultuous turn of events led KL Rahul to become one of few seasoned players in the history of the league to switch franchise multiple times.
Here is a link to another mind-boggling tale coming from the beleaguered franchise:
https://cricwallah.com/this-ipl-team-used-two-impact-players-in-the-same-match/