Indian Premier League (IPL) Lucknow franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka says KL Rahul will become a phenomenal leader and has everything it takes to succeed on the big stage.
Lucknow chose to go with KL Rahul (Rs 17 crore), Marcus Stoinis (Rs 9.2 crore) and Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 4 crore) for IPL 2022. The Lucknow team will travel to IPL Auction 2022 with purse of INR 59.89 crore.
Sanjiv Goenka impressed with KL Rahul’s leadership skills and confirmed he will be Lucknow franchise captain
KL Rahul will don the captain’s hat. Andy Flower has already been appointed as the Lucknow franchise coach while former India hitter Gautam Gambhir will serve as the franchise’s mentor.
“Yes, KL will be the captain. I was very impressed with KL’s batting and wicket-keeping abilities, but also his leadership skills. He is evolving, he is growing, he is maturing as a player, as a as a leader and he’s someone I would have wanted to lead the team,” Sanjiv Goenka said on Star Sports’ “IPL Selection Day” show.
“And I believe that in the right atmosphere, in the right environment, he will emerge as a phenomenal leader, and he has what it takes to succeed,” he added.
KL Rahul has been signed by Lucknow for a fee of INR 17 cr, making him joint record holder of the highest paid player in the IPL, tied with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player, Virat Kohli. Talking about signing KL Rahul, Sanjiv Goenka mentioned that the 29-year-old is still his choice. KL Rahul has been the top opener in the IPL since 2018 and has scored 659, 593, 670 and 626 respectively over the past four seasons.
Sanjiv Goenka: Unlike Pune, Lucknow are building the foundations of a team that will last around 8 years
Marcus Stoinis is a huge pick of the Lucknow squad as he has been an integral part of the Delhi Capitals squad for the past few seasons when the team qualified for their first IPL finals (2020) and has also achieved knockouts in the remainder of the two seasons (2019 and 2021).
Not only that, Marcus Stoinis was a key member of the Australian squad that won the ICC T20I World Cup last year and was also in great form in the ongoing Big Bash League. Impressive young spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been named third choice by Lucknow and the decision clearly has KL Rahul stamp all over it as Ravi Bishnoi had played and done well under KL Rahul’s captaincy for the Punjab Kings.
Speaking of the three draft picks for IPL 2022, Sanjiv Goenka said: “There were several things. We were looking not only to build a team for one or two seasons, as we did in the case of Pune, but in fact to build the foundations of a team, which will compete successfully for many years. We were also looking for players with more than one facet, so not one-size-fits-all players. So KL is not only an outstanding batsman, he is an excellent wicket-keeper.
“Marcus is an excellent finisher, a good bowler and a phenomenal defender. Ravi brings a unique dimension to the spin department and is an outstanding defender. So we looked for players who could do more than one thing; players who would be with the franchise for multiple years – three, four, five, six, seven, eight years. And KL is in the hitting department, Marcus is all-around and Ravi is a bowler, so we tried to cover all three departments,” added Sanjiv Goenka.
The two new IPL teams – Sanjiv Goenka RPSG Group for Lucknow franchise and CVC Capital’s Ahmedabad team had received official clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The official permission was given after a meeting of the IPL board.
IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel has also confirmed that the IPL auction will be held in Bengaluru on February 12-13. Meanwhile, the other new franchise, Ahmedabad, has signed Hardik Pandya (INR 15 crores), Rashid Khan (INR 15 crores) and Shubman. Gill (INR 8 crores) and will have a purse of INR 52 crores to spend at the auction table. Hardik Pandya will be the team captain.
“Yes, the auction will be held in Bengaluru on February 12-13,” Patel said.
The two new teams have been cleared to sign three players each ahead of the mega auction, currently scheduled in Bengaluru on February 12-13.
