New Delhi, November 13 (IANS). Veteran batsman KL Rahul has said that he wants to play in a balanced environment where he gets a chance to play with complete freedom. Rahul has also expressed his opinion regarding joining RCB. Lucknow Supergiants had released Rahul and now he is waiting for the mega auction.
Recently, Lucknow franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka had expressed his desire to retain players in the team who have a “winning mentality” and who “put the team ahead of their personal aspirations and goals.” Did this statement somehow inspire Rahul’s desire to go to the auction?
In response to this question, Rahul said in an interview to Star Sports on November 12, “No, I think the decision had already been taken and I don’t know what was said in that statement, but it was probably about retention.” Must have come only after the announcement. I felt that I wanted to make a fresh start, explore my options and play where I get some freedom and the team environment is more balanced.
“There is already a lot of pressure in the IPL. When you look at Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings and other teams, it is clear that when they win or lose, they remain composed and the atmosphere in the dressing room is very calm. It is very important for me as a player that if there is such an environment, all the players get the best opportunity to perform at their best.
Rahul said, “Captaincy is not so important for me that all further things are decided by it.” I just want to be part of a team that has a good environment. Where you get love, care and respect and in that environment every person in the franchise has the same goal – to win. If so, that would be an ideal situation for me.
He said, “We tried to create that kind of environment at LSG, first with Andy Flower (head coach) and GG (Gautam Gambhir, mentor) and then last year with the new head coach Justin Langer. I think the dressing The atmosphere in the room was great. But sometimes you need to move on to find something better for yourself.”
Rahul had taken LSG to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. When he was questioned about IPL 2024, Rahul hinted that external pressure could be the reason for his decline in performance. After starting with a defeat against Rajasthan Royals, they won three consecutive matches, but then their team faltered in the middle of the season. After this his performance kept declining. However, meanwhile, Rahul remained his team’s top scorer, scoring 520 runs with a strike rate of 136.12.
However, despite scoring so many runs, there was doubt whether Rahul would remain with the team or not. The biggest reason for this was that there was a heated argument between Rahul and Goenka after a match played against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league stage, which was clearly visible in the video.
He said, “There are always ups and downs in the game. You have to maintain your composure and keep performing well. Travel, external events, pressure – all this happens every year. But this season it felt like That it was all a bit much and I think it affected the team, and we weren’t able to perform when it really mattered.”
Rahul said that IPL captaincy is not the most important thing for him at this moment, but playing in a “good environment” is more important. When asked about IPL captaincy, Rahul said, “I will never go and ask anyone for captaincy. If you feel that my leadership abilities are enough and you will see my style of playing cricket and the way I handle myself. “If something good seems to be happening, I’m definitely happy to captain.”
“But captaincy is not that important for me that it decides everything from there onwards. I just want to be a part of a team which has a good environment. Where you get love, care and respect and in that environment every member of the franchise can The person should have only one goal – to win. If so, that would be an ideal situation for me.”
There is buzz on social media about a possible reunion with his home team Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, Rahul is not ignoring the possibility of joining any team. But it is no secret which team he has a special attachment to. He said, “I enjoyed playing at RCB the most. That team is like home to me. You can spend a lot of time at home, and I know the Chinnaswamy Stadium very well. I grew up playing there Am.”
Asked about going back to RCB, Rahul said, “Yes, absolutely, as I said, it’s like home for me and people there know me as a local Kannada boy, and to go back there and It would be nice to get an opportunity again. But one thing is that you can go to any team in the auction.”
–IANS
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