My thought process and motivation have always been team first: KL Rahul ahead of IPL 2025 auction

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): While the whole attention is rightfully on the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth, there will also be keen eyeballs on the IPL 2025 mega auction happening in Jeddah on November 24 and 25. One of the keen interests in the auction will be where KL Rahul would end up, especially after not being retained by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Rahul, who has previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings in the IPL, has said he is always a team-first player. "All of us as players want to play with freedom, and everyone would think that the way I batted, I'm enjoying playing that. But like I said, my thought process and motivation have always been team first. It doesn't matter what I want to do or what my natural game is.” “We play a team sport. If I played tennis, it would be different; I could stick to saying, 'This is my natural game.' But in a team sport, it's very different. Each game, you'll have a different role and responsibility given to you to find a way to deliver for the team,” said Rahul to Star Sports.

Rahul hasn’t played T20Is for India since the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, and he is aiming for IPL 2025, whoever team he plays for, as the start to get back into the national set-up. Rahul has played 72 T20Is for India and amassed 2,265 runs at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 139.12, including two centuries and 22 fifties. “My aim is to obviously get back into the T20 team. I've always wanted to be an all-format player, and that desire and drive haven't changed over the years. I want to still play for India in all three formats and have done that for many years.” “I've been out of the T20 team for a while, and I know where I stand as a player and what I need to do to get back. So, I look forward to this IPL season to give me that platform to enjoy my cricket and play the way I want to," he added.