'It was a tough call': KL Rahul explains why he decided to leave Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2022
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Team India star KL Rahul has opened up on his decision to leave Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2022. He will be leading Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming season.
Team India star KL Rahul has opened up on his decision to leave Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Rahul left Punjab Kings in search of new opportunities ahead of IPL 2022 after failing to lead the side to playoffs in two consecutive seasons as captain.
While he didn't tase success as captain, Rahul was Punjab's best batter since joining the side in 2018. He notched up an impressive 2548 runs in 55 games in four seasons from 2018 to 2021 at an average of over 54 and was always among the runs for his former side.
Rahul was roped in by Lucknow Super Giants in the players' draft ahead of the mega auction for a whopping Rs 17 crore (INR 170 million), making him the joint highest-paid player alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) superstar Virat Kohli. Rahul will be leading Lucknow Super Giants in their debut season in the IPL this year.
Rahul recently opened up on his decision to leave Punjab Kings and said it was a 'tough call' but he wanted to embark on a new journey and see what was in store for him.
“I have been with them for four years and I’ve had a great run with them. Just wanted to see what’s in store for me and if there’s a new journey for me. It was a tough call obviously. I have been attached to Punjab for a long time. I wanted to see if I can do something else," Rahul said speaking to Red Bull Cricket.
Rahul was Punjab Kings' highest run-getter and the third-highest run-getter overall in IPL 2021 last year with 626 runs in 13 matches at a stunning average of over 62. In 2020, he had finished as the highest run-getter in the league with 670 runs from 14 games and won the Orange Cap.
After Rahul's departure from the side, Punjab Kings have named Mayank Agarwal as their new captain ahead of IPL 2022. Punjab have also roped in a number of big names in the form of Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow among others as they hunt for their maiden IPL title this year.