KL Rahul linked with KKR for mega trade ahead of IPL 2026; Why 3-time champs want India batter from Delhi Capitals?
According to a TOI report, the Shahrukh Khan co-owned franchise are interested in the India opener and have already contacted the cricketer, who is currently on national duty in the United Kingdom in the ongoing Test series against England.
Having made his IPL debut in 2013, Rahul has been prolific with the bat since the 2018 season and is one of the most-sought after players in the cash -rich league. In the last eight years, Rahul scored 600-plus runs in four seasons and 500-plus runs thrice. The only year where couldn't made his bat do the talking was in 2023.
In fact in IPL 2025, Rahul managed 539 runs from 13 games including a hundred and three fifties.
Ever since KKR parted ways with 2024 IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer, finding a perfect candidate for leadership has been a task for the KKR management. During the IPL 2025 mega auction, KKR didn't spend money on a player with good captaincy record, instead spend a whopping ₹ 23.75 crores on Venkatesh Iyer.
KKR appointed Ajinkya Rahane as the captain for IPL 2025, and crashed out of the league stage. If Rahul joins the Kolkata franchise, Rahul could be named as captain at KKR.
Another reason for KKR showing interest in Rahul is his connection with former India assistant coach Abhishek Bayar. The former Mumbai stalwart has worked with Rahul during his India days.
However, the biggest drawback for KKR will be they have no one who could Rahul's potential at Delhi Capitals. Honestly, KKR do not have any such player on whom Delhi Capitals may be interested upon. 'However, the deal is unlikely to work out as KKR don't have anybody they can trade to the Delhi Capitals in return,' a source told TOI.
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