KL Rahul to be re-acquired by Lucknow Super Giants? Coach Justin Langer reveals IPL 2025 auction strategy

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made a bold decision by releasing several key players such as KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, and Deepak Hooda before the IPL 2025 retention deadline.

The franchise opted to retain the dynamic Caribbean cricketer Nicholas Pooran and a promising young Indian core consisting of Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, and Ayush Badoni.

Pooran was retained for a substantial INR 21 crore, making him one of the highest-paid players in this retention cycle, alongside Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Virat Kohli, and behind Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore).

Mayank and Bishnoi were retained for INR 11 crore each as capped players, while Badoni and Mohsin will receive INR 4 crore each.

Although the franchise has maintained a strong core, the focus now shifts to the IPL 2025 auction. LSG head coach Justin Langer hinted at a strategy to reacquire former squad members during the upcoming auction.

In a video shared by LSG on their official social media platform, Langer expressed his intentions, stating, " We have got one more Right To Match (RTM) and we are hoping to pick up as many of our players as possible from last year in the auction. Mr Goenka has thought long and hard about this and like I have said, we have talked over and over all the possibilities”.

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— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) November 2, 2024

LSG will enter the IPL 2025 auction with a remaining purse value of INR 69 crores.

Also read| IPL 2025 Retentions: Full list of players retained and released by their respective franchises ahead of mega auction