“We wanted to retain players with the mindset to win.” Lucknow Super Giants owner slams KL Rahul post-retention

Sanjeev Goenka's dig at KL Rahul (Image Credit: Indiatimes)

Lucknow Super Giants’ owner Sanjeev Goenka takes a dig at former captain KL Rahul in a recent interview with the media. This happened on the day of the announcement of various retentions by the IPL franchises.

The Lucknow Super Giants have retained Nicholas Pooran (18 Cr), Ravi Bishnoi (11 Cr), Mayank Yadav (11 Cr), Mohsin Khan (4 Cr), and Ayush Badoni (4 Cr). Former captain KL Rahul was not retained after the three-year association ended with the franchise.

During the last IPL, Sanjeev Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, engaged in an animated conversation with KL Rahul after the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. After this, there were many speculations that the relations between the captain and owner had been completely broken.

Sanjeev Goenka in an argument over KL Rahul in IPL 2024 (Image Credit: MensXP)


In a video message to Star Sports, LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka was talking about his plan related to the retentions and mega auction before the 2025 IPL. He revealed the reason behind retaining the players for the franchise.

In a joking manner, he added, “It was a simple mindset to go in with players who have a mindset to win, who put the team first before their personal goals and personal aspirations, and we wanted to retain as much as we could.”


This comment of his is seen as a subtle dig towards former captain KL Rahul after not retaining him for the franchise.

Nicholas Pooran retained the top spot with 21 crores

Nicholas Pooran was retained for a huge 21 Crores (Image Credit: X.com)

Lucknow Super Giants’ owner, Sanjeev Goenka, announced West Indian batter Nicholas Pooran as their top retention for a price of INR 21 crore. The star batter scored crucial runs for the franchise last season and will be looking forward to contributing more towards the success of the franchise.

Apart from him, leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi, fast bowler Mayank Yadav, batter Ayush Badoni, and fast bowler Mohsin Khan have also been retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 IPL Auction.

The team would be looking to solidify their batting lineup in the 2025 IPL mega auction with a huge variety of players that are available in the auction.

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