KL Rahul is likely to join a new team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in the upcoming IPL season. Known for his strong batting skills, Rahul is expected to be one of RCB’s main targets in the auction. RCB also plans to keep Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj as their top retained players and may retain left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal, though this isn’t confirmed yet.
According to RevSportz, RCB will place a bid for KL Rahul, who may be released by his current team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). If RCB successfully signs Rahul, he is expected to take over as team captain.
While RCB hopes to bring Rahul on board, there’s no certainty yet since auction outcomes are never final until confirmed. Virat Kohli is expected to be RCB’s first retained player, with Mohammed Siraj as their second.
RCB also has other plans for the auction and may try to sign Rishabh Pant or Ishan Kishan. Some reports suggest that Delhi Capitals haven’t yet finalized Pant on their retention list, which could make him available in the auction pool.
Mumbai Indians are unlikely to keep Ishan Kishan directly, but they may use the Right to Match (RTM) option to bring him back.
RCB is in urgent need of a new captain, as their current skipper, Faf du Plessis, is 40 and may not play for much longer. Signing KL Rahul would be a smart, long-term move for RCB, as he would bring leadership, strong batting, and wicketkeeping skills to the team.
KL Rahul started his IPL career with RCB (then called Bangalore) in 2013, playing 19 matches for them from 2013 to 2016. During this time, he scored 417 runs, with an impressive average of 37.90 and a strike rate of 145.29.
However, RCB released Rahul before the 2017 season, and he then played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, before joining Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as captain in 2022. Under his leadership, LSG reached the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023. Rumors of a disagreement with LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka have sparked talk that Rahul might leave the team.
