Aakash Chopra believes KL Rahul should be LSG's top retention ahead of IPL 2025, emphasizing his value as captain and predicting him to fetch at least 18 crores in the auction.

New Delhi: Akash Chopra believes that KL Rahul should be Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) top retention option ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. He mentioned that if the franchise allows their captain to enter the auction, he will get at least 18 crores.

Rahul scored 520 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 136.12 in IPL 2024. However, his conservative captaincy style has been criticized by many pundits, raising the question of whether LSG will continue with him as their leader.

In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Chopra said that Rahul would be the first of LSG's three capped retentions. He also highlighted that pace bowler Mayank Yadav, who could have been retained as an uncapped player, is likely to be capped for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh.

“They have three players they can retain. The fourth uncapped Indian could be as he will not remain uncapped as he will get an India cap before October 31. I am talking about Mayank Yadav. They definitely wanted to keep him but if he gets an India cap then there is no point in keeping him. Then you can use the Right to Match card,” he said.

“The first is KL Rahul because you want him to be the captain and he is the face of the franchise. You will not get it for 18 crores under any circumstances. If KL Rahul goes to the auction, he will definitely fetch 18 crores and you should not leave the captain under any circumstances. A captain needs to maintain consistency, love and relationships,” added the former India opener.

Before the last mega auction, LSG acquired KL Rahul as a draft pick for 17 crores. Their other draft picks ahead of the IPL 2022 auction were Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi.