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India’s wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has led two Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises in his career. Unfortunately, Rahul left both franchises – Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) -- on a bitter note. But, it was Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner who had a heated conversation with KL Rahul on the field that led to the fallout. He opted to go into the mega auction and was roped in by Delhi Capitals (DC). Ahead of the announcement of retentions, there were rumours of Rahul joining the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and taking over captaincy but they did not turn out to be a true. In a recent interview with presenter Jatin Sapru, Rahul revealed feeling drained after two months of IPL and why it was difficult being a captain of the franchise.
“What I found hard as a captain in the IPL was the number of meetings that you needed to do, the number of reviews that you needed to do, and the number of things that you needed to explain at the ownership level. All of that is really like energy draining. So I realised at the end of IPL that I am more mentally and physically drained than after playing 10 months of international cricket," Rahul told Sapru.
“There are so many things. Coaches, captains, you’re just constantly being asked a lot of questions, and after a point, it almost feels like you’re being questioned as to why did you made this change. Why did Jatin play in the XI? Why is it that the opposition got 200 and we couldn’t even get 120? Why are their bowlers getting more spin?"
“I mean, these are questions that we never get asked through the year, right? Because the coaches who are there know what’s going on. You’re only answerable to the coach and the selectors who’ve all played cricket and understand the nuances of cricket and sport. No matter what you do and how many boxes you tick, there’s nothing in sport that guarantees victory. So that’s the hard part to explain to people who come from a non-sporting background," he added.
Rahul finds his T20 self at DC
Rahul batted at different positions and justified his price tag for DC. From 13 innings, he scored 539 runs at an average of 53.90, including a century and three fifties. He scored runs at a strike rate of 149.72, his best in an IPL season since 2018.
After the retentions were announced, DC head coach Hemang Badani revealed that there was never a doubt that they will retain Rahul. He lauded him for playing a versatile role at the franchise.
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