Two brand new franchises, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, have now been added to Indian Premier League. New retention rules are out and it’s crystal clear that a maximum of four retentions will be allowed to each existing franchise.
With that being said, a lot of rumours have been doing rounds around the upcoming Mega Auction. Netizens are coming up with one team-switch theory after another. Apparently, one such theory indicates that KL Rahul may be willing to join Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2022.
KL Rahul started following Mumbai Indians on Instagram?
Every sport’s fans follow their favorite players very closely. Cricket fans, even more so. They often theorize their darling player’s inclination, their next move- all based on their social media activities. This time around, the sport personality in question is KL Rahul.
Rahul has 11 million followers on his Instagram but follows only 320 accounts; most of them being cricketers. However, only 2 such accounts belong to IPL franchises. Expectedly, one them is Punjab Kings since he presently represents them in the cash-rich league. But the other team is Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai Indians.
KL Rahul has no connection with the Mumbai-based franchise as such. He has never represented them in the tournament’s history. Moreover, he doesn’t follow his previous IPL franchises: Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Rahul had unfollowed both his ex-franchises after parting ways with them. If Rahul used to follow MI back then, he’d have unfollowed them too. Therefore, the netizens sense that this is a recent activity by KL. They think he wants to turn up for Mumbai Indians in IPL’s upcoming season. Here’s a Twitterati pointing out the same.
KL Rahul following Mumbai Indians in Instagram 😯
He is following only 2 teams (Punjab & Mumbai) https://t.co/pBgBkX4UuZ pic.twitter.com/LNjc5JX3Q1
— S H E B A S (@Shebas_10) October 28, 2021
So #KLRahul wants to go for #MumbaiIndians next #IPL2022 🤔🤔
Hmmmmmmmmmm pic.twitter.com/RKVbzxzEqT— 🐰 (@Noisky97) October 29, 2021
Rahul hasn’t been “enjoying” his role as an anchor at PBKS. Not one bit. He pointed the same out during a post-match interview in IPL 2021. Seemingly, PBKS skipper and the management have often been at loggerheads. So it’s highly possible that Rahul may part ways with the franchise soon.
ALSO READ: Players who might Captain Ahmedabad and Lucknow IPL Franchises
He pretty much carried Punjab Kings throughout IPL 2021, scoring 626 runs at an astonishing average of 62.60 runs per dismissal. But still, Ness Wadia, Punjab King’s co-owner doesn’t seem to value him. It just makes his release more likely. Here’s Wadia’s statement on KL Rahul’s current situation with Punjab Kings.
“There are many players apart from KL Rahul, firstly. One player does not make up a team, I’ve always said that. Having said that, every player has a value and one thing I will say is we’ve learnt to adjust and adapt throughout. Any team that hinges too much on one player, that does prove beyond a point a liability.” said Ness Wadia.
