KL Rahul is one of the most consistent and stylish batters in modern cricket. He began his IPL journey in 2013 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru after being picked for Rs 10 lakh. KL Rahul has represented five IPL teams so far but is still chasing his first title. In 145 matches, KL Rahul has scored 5222 runs at an average of 46.21 and a strike rate of 136.03, ranking 7th among all-time top scorers.
The trade talk ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction next month is heating up and the developments in Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders camp are generating a lot of interest at the moment. Much of the interest is around wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul who has been on KKR’s radar as the franchise is on the lookout for a captain and a top-order wicketkeeper-batter. But even after several informal meetings between KL Rahul and KKR top brass, there is very little progress on the high-profile trade deal with DC.
The major roadblock has been the lack of tradable assets in the KKR camp which would excite DC to release their marquee signing from last year. It is reliably learnt that as many as three combinations were proposed by DC to KKR, who weren’t comfortable with any.
The first was a direct swap with Sunil Narine; the second was a combination of Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh and the latest was Harshit Rana and Raghuvanshi. DC’s stand on the matter is very clear at the moment and they have maintained that if KKR want their marquee player, they need to release someone of similar stature.
Ever since Abhishek Nayar was formalised as the KKR head coach, various options were looked at but there hasn’t been any headway. Nayar and Raghuvanshi go way back as he has personally trained him but DC’s interest in him doesn’t come as a surprise considering the youngster is a JSW Sports (co-owners of DC) athlete and has been on the franchise’s radar for some time.
The KKR camp feels Rinku and Harshit are their homegrown players and see a lot of years with the two. So as things stand, there is not a workable solution on the table. DC are close to formalising the Sanju Samson-Tristan Stubbs-and-uncapped-Indian-player swap and it remains to be seen how the franchise handles the squad dynamics.
While KL Rahul and Samson in the same squad amps up the brand value, it poses a Playing XI challenge. Where do you bat the two? Who opens with Abhishek Porel? Will Samson agree to bat at No.3? Or will they drop KL Rahul back to the middle-order – a position he wasn’t quite comfortable in last season.Former RCB batter Mohammad Kaif’s makes a big claim on DC star KL Rahul amid IPL 2026 trade rumors of the player.
KL Rahul will lead KKR well- Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian player Mohammad Kaif believes KL Rahul should move from the Delhi Capitals to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of IPL 2026. Kaif has advised the wicketkeeper-batter to take the opportunity if presented.
The 33-year-old, who has plied his trade for multiple franchises in the IPL, featured for the Capitals this year after being bought for ₹14 crore. Nevertheless, there have been rumors that the right-handed batter could be released and the Knight Riders could buy him. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel ‘Mohammad Kaif,’ the 44-year-old opined that LSG was not a good team for the opening batter as a skipper, given the rift was visible between him and owner Sanjiv Goenka. Kaif said (29:44):
“If KL Rahul becomes KKR’s captain, he will lead them well. He had captained Lucknow before. If there is rift between any player and owner, it reflects on the field. So, there was a lack of understanding in LSG. That’s why he left Lucknow and came to Delhi. He had established himself in Lucknow, hitting 500 runs, so why would he have wanted to leave? But I feel KKR is a better option for KL Rahul as captain because they have an excellent team.”
Mohammad Kaif added that a move to KKR will benefit Rahul, as he will get to bat on a good pitch at the Eden Gardens, allowing the keeper-batter to play freely.
“If you look at the players they have – Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz. If we compare with Lucknow, KKR have proper match-winners. The template is set over there about who will bat where.
I would advise KL Rahul to not let go if he is given the opportunity, he should grab it with both hands. The pitch at Eden Gardens also plays well; hence, it will benefit his batting. He can also tick the box of having won an IPL as captain. KKR will be a good option for him,” Kaid added.
Apart from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the 33-year-old has also captained the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Having captained in 64 IPL matches from 2020 to 2024, he has won and lost 31 games each. The Knight Riders could be looking for a new captain, as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side couldn’t even make it past the group stage in IPL 2025.
These are the questions DC think-tank need to find answers for because as things stand, KKR would really need to let go of the players they aren’t comfortable releasing right now. If that doesn’t happen, DC are in for a severe headache this season. The problems are set to increase for KKR, too, as they had Ajinkya Rahane as captain last season but the out-of-favour 37-year-old can’t be the face of the franchise anymore.
They needed to look for a leader and with not many options likely to be in the auction pool, a KL Rahul trade was the ideal scenario for them and it isn’t a surprise that they are desperate to have him on board. It wasn’t an ideal last season for the three-time IPL winners and they need to fix their leadership piece to have some direction in the ongoing cycle. The retention list of all 10 franchises will be announced on November 15.
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