 "KL Rahul lost his position as captain after being sacked by Lucknow Super Giants before IPL 2025. Image: Reuters")
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction is just around the corner, and trade talks ahead of the big day are heating up. According to reports, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with their new head coach Abhishek Nayar at the helm, are looking to bring in KL Rahul from Delhi Capitals (DC).
Why did the reported talks between KKR and DC stall?
As per a report by The Times of India, trade talks between KKR and DC have hit a roadblock after the former reportedly rejected the offers made by the Capitals. The report claims that DC made as many as three different proposals to KKR, but the Kolkata-based franchise could not agree to any of them.
According to the report, the first offer was a direct swap between KL Rahul and KKR’s star all-rounder Sunil Narine. The second and third offers involved two-player combinations in exchange for Rahul - either Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh, or Harshit Rana and Raghuvanshi.
DC are said to be seeking a player of similar stature if they are to release Rahul. However, KKR don’t want to release players like Rinku or Harshit because the team sees them as long-term prospects. Meanwhile, DC is keen on getting Raghuvanshi on board as he’s a JSW Sports athlete.
Meanwhile, the report suggests that DC are close to finalising a trade with Rajasthan Royals for captain Sanju Samson in exchange for Tristan Stubbs and an uncapped Indian player. However, this move could complicate matters for the coaching staff if Rahul is not released before the auction, as both Samson and Rahul are wicketkeepers.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKKR are reportedly seeing Rahul as their captain for the upcoming season. Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane was made a temporary captain last season after Shreyas Iyer left for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) following the IPL 2024 win. Rahane is 37-years-old and is not being seen as a captain anymore.
Rahul, on the other hand, lost his IPL captaincy last season after being sacked by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He was bought by the Delhi Capitals Rs 14 crore, but was not given the leadership role. Before LSG, Rahul was the captain of Punjab Kings for a few seasons.