IPL 2022: KL Rahul becomes joint-highest-paid player in IPL history
KL Rahul was already among one of the highest-paid players in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Now, he has become the joint-highest-paid player in the history of the cash-rich league after the Lucknow IPL franchise shelled out Rs. 17 crore to acquire his services for the 15th edition of the tournament. They have also roped in Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi for IPL 2022.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had paid a similar sum to retain the services of Virat Kohli during the 2018 IPL players' retention.
- However, RCB reduced Kohli's prize to Rs. 15 crore for IPL 2022, making Rahul the highest-paid cricketer so far this season in the marquee event.
- Lucknow have signed Stoinis for Rs. 9.2 crore and are paying Rs. 4 crore to Bishnoi.
We wanted the best and we didn't settle for less. 💪🤩#TeamLucknow #IPL2022 @klrahul11 @MStoinis @bishnoi0056 pic.twitter.com/p9oM8M9tHy
— Official Lucknow IPL Team (@TeamLucknowIPL) January 21, 2022
Sanjiv Goenka, the head of RP Sanjiv Goenka Group that owns Lucknow, confirmed that Rahul will also captain the side. "I have been very impressed with not only his batting and wicket=keeping but also his leadership skills. He is evolving, growing, maturing as a leader. He is somebody I would have wanted to lead the team," he said on a Star Sports programme.
Team owner, Dr. Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman @rpsggroup welcomes the 3️⃣ drafted picks for #TeamLucknow! 👏😇@klrahul11 @MStoinis @bishnoi0056 #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/AbbURvQC5Q
— Official Lucknow IPL Team (@TeamLucknowIPL) January 21, 2022
Goenka said that these players would not only "propel" Lucknow but also "lay the foundation" as he wants them to stay here for a long time. "Marcus is a great finisher, a good bowler and a phenomenal fielder. Ravi brings a unique dimension to the spin department and is an exceptional fielder. We want players to be here for three-four-five-six-seven-eight years," he added.
Lucknow have spent Rs. 30.2 crore on acquiring the services of Rahul (17 crore), Stoinis (9.2), and Bishnoi (4) in their draft pick. They will now head into the IPL auction with Rs. 58.8 crore in their purse.
With 3,273 runs in 94 games under his name, Rahul sits at the 16th spot in IPL's all-time run getter's list. He averages 47.43 in IPL and has registered two hundreds and 27 fifties. He has the experience of leading Punjab Kings in IPL for two seasons. He led PBKS in 27 games, winning 11, losing 14 while two games ended in a tie.
Bishnoi has played 23 games and picked up 24 wickets at 25.25. Bishnoi's economy is under 7 (6.97) in IPL. He was picked by PBKS in the 2020 auction of Rs. 2 crore. Stoinis' last IPL team was Delhi Capitals. He joined the team in 2020 for Rs. 4.8 crore. Overall, he has played 56 IPL games, scoring 914 runs and taking 30 wickets.
