KL Rahul Joins Delhi Capitals but May Miss IPL 2025 Opener: A new IPL season is here, and KL Rahul will play for a different team this year. Rahul, who was the captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last season, was bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2025 auction. The auction was held in Jeddah, where DC spent ₹14 crores to sign the wicketkeeper-batter. His base price was ₹2 crores.
However, reports suggest that Rahul might miss DC’s first match. The team will play against his former team, LSG, in Visakhapatnam. He joined DC late in their pre-season training due to personal reasons.
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Rahul is reportedly expecting his first child with his wife, Athiya Shetty. This could be the reason for his absence in the opening game. However, he was also recently spotted at a promotional event in the Middle East.
Axar Patel on KL Rahul’s Availability
DC’s new captain, Axar Patel, spoke about Rahul’s selection for the first game. He said, “Obviously, he joined the team. We don’t know yet [if he’ll play]. Right now, we don’t know if he is available or not.”
Rahul was DC’s most expensive buy at the auction. Experts praised the franchise for their smart strategy. DC also raised the price for some players before pulling out of the bidding war.
DC’s Other Auction Buys
Along with Rahul, DC made some big purchases at the auction. They bought the Australian fast bowler, Mitchell Starc for ₹11.75 crores and India’s T Natarajan for ₹10.75 crores. Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar was also retained for ₹8 crores. South African star Faf du Plessis joined DC for ₹2 crores.
Axar Patel Becomes DC’s New Captain
Axar Patel has been named DC’s new captain, replacing Rishabh Pant. Pant moved to LSG after being bought for a record ₹27 crores.
Pant was also benched during India’s Champions Trophy win, as Rahul played an important role in the team’s success. DC had multiple choices for captaincy, including Rahul and Du Plessis, but they chose Axar for the role.
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