I wanted freedom: KL Rahul fires at Sanjiv Goenka after 'want team man' jibe

Ever since Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen in a heated discussion with the then captain, KL Rahul, in the last season, speculations have taken centre stage the India wicketkeeper-batter will not be retained.

This is exactly what happened, when on October 31, Goenka's LSG did not retain its skipper.

While, Goenka said he wants a team player, KL Rahul, too, opened up on his recent exit from the franchise ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), stressing that he wanted to start fresh in the marquee tournament.


KL Rahul, speaking on Star Sports, said that he wanted to explore his options in the T20 tournament and find a place where he could find some freedom.

"I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom, where the team atmosphere could be something lighter. Sometimes you need to move away and find something good for yourself," KL Rahul said.

The cricketer, who has, for long now, not been a part of the Indian team in the shortest format, further added that he is looking forward to performing in the upcoming season of the IPL.

"I have been out of the T20 team for a while and I know where I stand as a player and I know what I need to do to get back, so I'll look forward to this IPL season to give me that platform where I can go back and enjoy my cricket and my aim is to obviously get back into the Indian T20 team," Rahul added.

LSG has retained Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi alongside uncapped stars Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni ahead of IPL 2025.

KL Rahul's IPL performance

KL Rahul's performance in IPL 2024 and his subsequent base price for the upcoming mega-auction have become points of discussion.

During the IPL 2024 season, Rahul played 14 matches for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scoring 520 runs at an average of 37.14. However, his strike rate of 136.13 drew criticism from some, who argued that it negatively impacted the team's results.

Rahul's overall record with LSG spans three seasons and 38 matches, during which he scored over 1,200 runs. Despite this consistency, his playing style remained a subject of debate.

The former LSG captain is now listed at a base price of Rs 2 crore for the IPL 2025 mega-auction.