5 biggest takeaways from KL Rahul's recent interview

KL Rahul's release from IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made the headlines ahead of the mega auction. This was surprising, and not so surprising at the same time, given he had led them to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023.

In 2024, however, LSG did not qualify for the playoffs, and finished seventh in the league standings with 14 points. Rahul, nonetheless, topped the batting charts for them, scoring 520 runs at a strike rate of 136.12.

A much-publicised incident of LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka berating Rahul for the team's performance in public after their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad was often cited as the reason for him not being retained by the franchise.

However, in an interview aired on Star Sports on 12 November, the India batter clarified that he wanted to move away from the franchise and start afresh. He said he wanted to try out new things and explore his options.

In this listicle, we take a look at five of the biggest takeaways from Rahul's interview:

#1 The need to start afresh

The most important talking point about Rahul's interview was leaving the franchise and trying his luck in the auction. He mentioned that the key thing for him was to try and start 'fresh' and play where he could find some freedom.

Rahul also mentioned that he would ideally want the environment in his new team to be more balanced.

"No, I mean, I think the decision was made already and I don't know what the comments are, but they must have come after the announcement. I just felt like I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom and the team atmosphere would be something much more balanced," said Rahul.

#2 The role of pressure in IPL

Rahul made no bones about the fact that the pressure in the IPL is sky-high, and that teams need to adapt quickly. He also mentioned teams like Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, who handle that pressure well.

The Karnataka batter said he tried to create such an atmosphere at LSG with Andy Flower, Gautam Gambhir and Justin Langer at different times, but still felt the need to move away from the franchise to explore his options.

"The pressure is already there in the IPL, it's so high. You see teams like Gujarat [Titans] and CSK [Chennai Super Kings] and all of these teams, and you see when they win or lose, they seem really balanced and the dressing room is really calm. That's something that's very important for me as a player. I feel like if that happens, it gives all the players the best chance to perform," said Rahul.

"We tried that at LSG with Andy Flower [head coach] and GG [Gautam Gambhir, mentor] first and then last year with [new head coach, Justin] Langer, we tried to create that in the change room. I think it was a brilliant atmosphere in the change room. I think sometimes you just need to move away and find something good for yourself," he added.

#3 On why LSG could not do well

Rahul was rather straightforward with his opinion on why his team LSG did not do well in IPL 2024. In the interview, he said that his team could not put in the performances when it mattered the most.

The wicketkeeper-batter also said that even though the pressure of doing well is there in the IPL every year, somehow he felt as if it was considerably more last season. He hinted that it might have been the reason why LSG ended up seventh.

"There's always ups and downs. You need to be able to hold your nerves and be able to keep and you need to be able to keep putting up good performances after good performances. All the travel, all the drama outside, the pressure - all of it is there every year. But somehow this season, it felt like there was a lot more and somehow I think that affected the team and we couldn't put in performances when it really mattered," said Rahul.

#4 The importance of captaincy

Rahul elucidated in this interview why he will not seek captaincy from IPL franchises, and instead for the team to approach him. He also felt that not getting the captaincy was not a make-or-break deal for him.

Rahul also harped in on the importance of playing in an environment where one feels loved and cared for, and said that he would like to do so yet again in the IPL next year.

"I would never go and ask someone for it (captaincy). If you feel that my leadership skills are good enough, and you find something good in the way I play my cricket and in the way I handle myself, the way that I handle the team that I've captained in the last four to five years, and if you find it worthy, then, of course, I'm happy to do it," said Rahul.

"But it's not something that is a make or break for me. I just want to be part of a team that has a good environment. You feel loved, cared for and respected in that environment and everyone on that franchise has one single goal to win. Then that's a perfect fit," he added.

#5 The soft corner for RCB

Rahul did not mask the fact that he would like to return to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a franchise that is technically his home team, as he was born in the city and hails from Mangalore in southern Karnataka.

The 32-year-old spent two seasons with RCB in 2013 and 2016, and admitted to have enjoyed his time at the Chinnaswamy. In the interview, he said that he knew the ground very well and that it would be 'nice' to go back there.

"I most enjoyed playing at RCB. It's also home. You get to spend a lot of time at home, and I know the Chinnaswamy [Stadium] really well. I've grown up playing on that ground. So yeah, I really enjoyed my time in RCB," said Rahul.

"Of course, like I said, it's kind of home and the people there know me as a local Kannada boy, and it would be nice to go back there and get an opportunity again. But yeah, it's an auction year so you can go anywhere," he added.