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Indian Premier League 2026: 3 Reasons KL Rahul Can Reject The KKR Trade
Follow UsKL Rahul’s trade seems like a great deal for KKR, but not so much for KL or DC
Hardik Pandya’s trade to Mumbai Indians from the Gujarat Titans is probably one of the most talked about Indian Premier League (IPL) trades, and it worked because it was mutually beneficial to all three parties involved.
Mumbai Indians got a superb all-rounder and a young skipper; Gujarat Titans got INR 15 crore, which they used to strengthen their team, which continues to be successful, and Pandya became the skipper of one of the biggest franchise teams in cricket.
However, this mutually beneficial deal doesn’t seem real in KL Rahul's case, as the market is overflowing with rumours about his trade to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). There are three main reasons behind this.
KKR Management Chaos
Gautam Gambhir left, and now Chandrakant Pandit has also parted ways with the franchise. Their skipper, Ajinkya Rahane, too, is on the wrong side of 30.
Overall, there’s a lot of uncertainty and chaos as far as the management of IPL’s third most successful franchise. So why would KL Rahul, who’s got a well-defined role in the Delhi Capitals outfit, want to leave that stability and chase the choppy waters of ‘what-could-be’ at KKR? It’s beyond the realms of logic.
KL Rahul’s Great Season At DC In IPL 2025
Why change something that ain’t broken?
Rahul scored 539 runs for DC in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of nearly 150 while averaging 53.9. While he has scored more runs in an IPL season, it’s the rate of his scoring and the timing of his knocks that stood out, and KL came clutch for DC multiple times in the season. Not only did he look in a great place mentally, but he was also seen bantering in good humour with the likes of Kevin Pietersen and his teammates at DC on many occasions.
So it seems highly unlikely that Rahul would move from such a conducive environment for him just after one season.
Why Would DC Trade An Irreplaceable Player?
DC lack quality Indian batters at the top, and moreover, they only have one other Indian wicketkeeper apart from Rahul (Abhishek Porel). They not only need Rahul to bat and direct their innings to a good total, but they also need him to keep wickets.
Moreover, Rahul’s flexibility as a batter ensures that he can bat anywhere in the top five and come and do the job for his team. There isn’t exactly a batter out there who can do what Rahul does with that much flexibility. Additionally, the volume of runs he scored in the 2025 season makes him precious for the Capitals.