'He'll be around for the first time' - Justin Langer on KL Rahul's availability ahead of IPL 2024

The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season is around the corner. Among the teams ready to make a mark in this exciting tournament is Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The Lucknow-based franchise will take on Rajasthan Royals in their opening game on March 24 on Sunday in Jaipur.

Since their inception in 2022, LSG has qualified for the playoffs on both occasions but fell short of lifting the coveted trophy, losing in the Eliminators respectively. As they gear up for another trophy hunt, LSG received a massive boost with the news that their captain, KL Rahul, is fit after recovering from a quadriceps injury that ruled him out of India's recent Test series against England.

Notably, KL Rahul, who sustained the injury during the Hyderabad Test in January, travelled to London last month for consultation with a specialist. After a dedicated rehabilitation process and completing all return-to-play protocols, the right-hander has rejoined the LSG squad and is expected to lead the side.

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"He'll be around for the first time to be with the boys and to be with the team. Everyone's looking forward to seeing him. We know he has worked very hard to tick off all his return-to-play protocols. He's worked very hard. He's been practicing, he's been hitting lots of balls. He's hopefully ready to go. It's going to be nice to have the captain with us," Langer said while expressing his joy for having Rahul back.

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With the addition of Devdutt Padikkal to the LSG squad for the new season, there is a possibility that Rahul might slide down from his usual opening spot. However, Langer remained tight-lipped about the batting order, emphasizing that the team's success should be the primary focus.

"If the team does well, then everyone gets rewarded. And therefore, from KL's point of view, if he captains the Lucknow Super Giants to an IPL victory, it means he would've played well himself and he would've captained very well, and he would've wicket-kept very well," the former Australia head coach concluded.