Former Indian captain and one of the greats of the game, Sunil Gavaskar has said that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will bid for KL Rahul.
KL Rahul has been released by the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction. The wicket-keeper batter is one of those players who will go for big bucks in the auction.
Talking to Star Sports, Gavaskar highlighted his composure and versatility as a player. With both Southern franchises looking for a wicket-keeper batter, they can get into a bidding war for him.
Gavaskar said, “I do believe that the two south franchises, Bengaluru as well as Chennai, will go for KL Rahul. Maybe even Hyderabad will go, but Bangalore is of course KL Rahul’s hometown. So clearly I think he will be enthused, he will be encouraged, he will want to play in front of his home crowd. So Bengaluru might go for KL Rahul”.
There have been quite a few questions over KL Rahul’s strike rate in the IPL but he’s one of the most consistent batters in the league. He has scored 600+ runs in four of the last 7 seasons. He has scored 500+ runs in six of the last seven editions of the IPL.
KL Rahul will be a great fit for both RCB and CSK
Dinesh Karthik used to be the wicket-keeper batter for RCB. Now that he’s retired and with RCB releasing Faf du Plessis, they need a wicket-keeper, a captain and an opening batter. Rahul fits perfectly into all three roles for the franchise.
Similarly, CSK is also looking for a wicket-keeper batter with MS Dhoni at the fag end of his career. Rahul will be an ideal pick for the Super Kings as well.
RCB will be coming into the auction with the second-highest purse of INR 83 crores. On the other hand, CSK has a purse of INR 55 crores. It’ll be interesting to see which team KL Rahul will end up in. The likes of Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings will also look to get him in their side.
