Former Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul explained the reason behind parting ways with the franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, slated to be held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25.

Rahul’s name didn’t feature in the list of retained players announced by LSG on October 31. The Lucknow-based franchise kept hold of five players namely Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 Crore), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 Crore), Mayank Yadav (INR 11 Crore), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 Crore) and Ayush Badoni (INR 4 Crore).

In an exclusive chat with Star Sports, Rahul said that he left the team because he needed freedom to play his game.

"I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom, where the team atmosphere could be something lighter. Sometimes you need to move away and find something good for yourself," Rahul stated.

"I have been out of the T20 team for a while and I know where I stand as a player and I know what I need to do to get back, so I'll look forward to this IPL season to give me that platform where I can go back and enjoy my cricket and my aim is to obviously get back into the Indian T20 team," he added.

KL Rahul was one of the marquee players signed by LSG ahead of their debut IPL season in 2022. He captained the side in all three seasons that they have been part of the competition and led them to the playoffs twice. LSG finished seventh in IPL 2024, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time.

In three seasons, the right-handed batter played 38 matches for the franchise and ended up scoring more than 1,200 runs.

It was during IPL 2024 that a tipping point was reached between KL Rahul and LSG owner Sajiv Goenka. After the embarrassing 10-wicket loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Goenka was seen having an animated exchange with Rahul on the ground.