Former Lucknow Super Giants skipper and star Indian batter KL Rahul was released by the franchise after the retention decisions came out for IPL 2025. Now Rahul has responded to comments made by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka on this issue. Rahul was released by the franchise after which Goenka said that LSG wanted to retain players who focused more on the team’s goals over personal ambitions and by many accounts, a veiled reference was being made to Rahul who had led the team for the last three seasons.

Sanjiv Goenka’s Jibe After KL Rahul Wasn’t Retained

“It was a simple mindset to go in with players who have a mindset to win, who put the team first before their personal goals and personal aspirations and we wanted to retain as much as of core we could,” said Sanjiv Goenka in a message played on Star Sports.

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KL Rahul was signed by LSG before the 2022 IPL mega auction and he captained for three years, during which he led the team into playoffs. However, 2024 proved a somewhat disappointing season when LSG slumped into the bottom half of the points table.

LSG’s Retention Strategy

For the retention list in the 2025 season, it is seen that LSG moved away from Rahul and retained Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, and Mohsin Khan.

He elaborated on the retention strategy stating, “We are looking for players who have a very strong, team-first mindset.” The incident had come about when Goenka was seen being at loggerheads with Rahul during an IPL 2024 game with Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, the two later sorted things out before the game continued.

‘I Wanted To Play Somewhere I Can Find Freedom’ Says Rahul

“The decision was made already. I don’t know what the comments are but they must have come after the retentions were made. Just felt like I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to play somewhere I can find some freedom and team atmosphere would be something lighter, much more balanced, pressure is already very high in the IPL,” Rahul told Star Sports.

Need For Team To Stay Calm In Both Win & Loss

“You see teams like Gujarat Titans, CSK and all of these teams, and you see, whether they win or lose, they seem very balanced; they stay very calm; that’s something very important for me as a player. If that happens, I feel like it gives all the players the best chance to perform,” he added.

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‘Find Something Good For Yourself’: KL Rahul

“We tried it first at LSG with Andy Flower and GG, last year we had Justin Langer. I think it was a brilliant atmosphere in the dressing room but somehow, you need to move away and need to find something good for yourself,” he concluded.

Rahul stated, he highly believes healthy unity is very important to the team, regardless of the results. He said that teams like Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings have come up to such unities. Rahul said, he tried working with LSG’s coaches to come up to the same feel but now says that the time has come for him to look at new opportunities for growth.