‘Wanted players who put the team over their personal goals and aspiration’ - LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka's dig at KL Rahul

Lucknow Super Giants have retained Nicholas Pooran for INR 21 crore, Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav for INR 11 crore each, and Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan for INR four crore each ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. They have let go of some of the reputed cricketers, including captain KL Rahul, who was LSG’s first pick from the draft in 2022. 

Under Rahul, Lucknow qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back years, that is in 2022 and in 2023. However, in 2023, the franchise finished seventh on the points table and owner Sanjiv Goenka wasn’t very happy with the performance of the team and of Rahul himself. They were spotted having a verbal spat after the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad and since then, it was reported that the Indian batter will not continue with the franchise.

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In August 2024, the duo met in Kolkata and during which, Goenka called Rahul a part of his family and their cricketing relationship never got better. The 32-year-old wanted to part ways and LSG management wasn’t keen to retain him as well. It was easy for both parties as Rahul was eventually released and he will now be available in the mega-auction.

In the meantime, while announcing the retention list for IPL 2025, Goenka stated that he wants to sign players who put personal goals aside and since then, it has been reported that his statement was actually a dig at Rahul. His strike rate was a major reason for concern for LSG management and Goenka’s words may as well prove that all is not okay between him and the cricketer.

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“We all had a joint discussion (Mentor Zaheer Khan, head coach Justin Langer and CEO Vinod Bisht) and that discussion wasn’t too long. It was a very simple mindset to go in for players who have a mindset to win - who put the team behind their personal goals and personal aspirations,” Goenka said.

Meanwhile, following five retentions, LSG have 69 crores left to spend in the auction. They might look for an Indian captain, and if they fail to recruit someone from the auction, Pooran can be considered for the role.