A huge buzz is again surrounding the IPL world, and this time it is about KL Rahul. Although the final retention list was released on November 15, the conversations about KL Rahul’s future are still going on.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter is mostly predicted to change his team from the Delhi Capitals (DC) to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before the IPL 2026 auction, and the buzz over this possible transfer is getting louder and louder.
KKR does not let go of KL Rahul despite IPL 2026 Retentions announced
Rahul was recently at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the India–South Africa Test, and this has led to speculations that this could soon be his new IPL home ground. Rumors are that the chances of Rahul moving to KKR are still quite strong notwithstanding the retentions being announced.
A Revsportz Journalist, Rohit Juglan, reports that Kolkata Knight Riders are still considering the acquisition of KL Rahul very seriously because of the kind of player he is and his leadership experience. He mentioned that one of the owners of Delhi Capitals was against releasing the right-handed batter, but the sources claim that the talks are still going on.
The journalist said that the door has not been shut; “move is still possible since KKR is still pushing very hard” to get Rahul before the IPL 2026 auction. A final decision could be taken in a week, and there is a very realistic chance that Rahul might be a part of the KKR team.
KL Rahul lights up the DC; KKR wants him as the next captain
At the IPL 2025 auction, Rahul was one of the most expensive players and DC bought him for a whopping ₹14 crore. He lived up to the huge amount of money paid for him by becoming the team’s leading scorer with 539 runs at a fantastic strike rate of almost 150. However, despite his great beginning to the season, the Capitals could not qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs, which left a lot of supporters disheartened.
When the Delhi team took Rahul at the mega auction, it was widely believed that he would get the captaincy at DC, but the franchise replaced Patel with Axar. In contrast, KKR had Ajinkya Rahane leading the team in the last season after Shreyas Iyer’s move to PBKS.
Should Rahul be a part of the Kolkata franchise, he would be the new captain and the one to lead the enormous transition. KKR has already made significant adjustments in the training staff. The new head coach is Abhishek Nayar and Shane Watson arrived as the assistant coach for the three-time champions and Tim Southee came on board as a bowling coach.
KL Rahul pulling the socks up for the second test
At the moment, Rahul is training for the second and last test match against South Africa in Guwahati, which is going to start on November 22. The Proteas are currently up in the series 1-0. It is also anticipated that Rahul, instead of Gill who has neck spasm, will captain India in the forthcoming ODI series.
Gill might not also be available for the Guwahati Test. The Indian team is currently having its practice at Eden Gardens and they would fly to Guwahati on Wednesday, November 19.
