IPL 2022 | Leaving Punjab Kings was a ‘tough call’, admits KL Rahul

India's talismanic batsman KL Rahul on Monday admitted leaving Punjab Kings, whom he had led in the last two seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a tough decision. However, Rahul said that he wanted to explore something new when he chose not to be retained by them ahead of the IPL 2022 auction.

Rahul joined Punjab Kings in 2018 and had been scoring runs consistently for them, scoring in excess of 550 in each of the last four seasons. Ahead of the 2022 auction, he was drafted by the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants, owned by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, for INR 17 crore, and was later appointed their captain for IPL 2022.

Speaking to Red Bull, Rahul said that he had a great run with Punjab Kings.

"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 was drafted in along with Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi by the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. They will make their debut in the IPL when they go up against another new franchise Gujarat Titans on March 28 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

During the 2022 auction, Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble had conceded that PBKS were interested in retaining Rahul but they respected his decision to depart the franchise after last season.

"We wanted to retain him, that is one of the reasons we chose him as captain two years back. But he decided to go into the auction. We respect that, we honour his decision. It's the player's prerogative," Kumble explained.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings appointed Mayank Agarwal, one of their two retentions, as captain for IPL 2022.