KL Rahul has joined the Delhi Capitals (DC) camp ahead of their first IPL 2025 encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday, March 24 in Visakhapatnam. There is some doubt, nevertheless, over his availability for the match.
Axar Patel expresses that KL Rahul will not participate in the Capitals’ first match of the season because of personal matters. The Karnataka batter devotes time to family responsibilities ahead of his wife Athiya Shetty delivering their first child.
“Obviously, he joined the team. We don’t know yet [if he’ll play]. Right now we don’t know if he is available or not,” Axar said of Rahul’s availability during the pre-match press conference.
Cricket fans have been eager to watch KL Rahul play against his old team, particularly in light of all the rumors that surfaced both before and after the associations ended. People will have to “wait and watch” until Monday, when DC plays the LSG, according to Hemang Badani, the team’s new head coach, who did not reveal Rahul’s batting position.
In the 2025 Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reintroduce the use of saliva. The decision was enthusiastically embraced by Axar and Badani. “The rules are in the right direction” to restore “balance between bat and ball,” according to Badani. In order to combat the dew problem, Axar Patel also praised the new regulation that adds a second fresh ball in the second innings of games.
“The IPL is all about the batsmen nowadays. So if we get something for the bowlers, it’s very nice to see. Now we can allow the saliva and if something is there for the bowlers, it’s great for the game also and for the bowlers, they can find that reverse swing at the end.”
Axar Patel
“Also in most of the venues in the IPL, the dew factor is there. So if after 10th over the fresh ball [option] is there, they are good rules and it’s very good for the bowlers. They have something to execute and they might find it easier [to stop the runs].”
Axar Patel
