IPL 2022: Lucknow captain KL Rahul joins Virat Kohli as highest played player in tournament history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is all set to get more competitive with two new teams. The franchises are also preparing for the mega auction slated for next month. In the meantime, KL Rahul has joined the new Lucknow franchise, where he will be leading the side, while he has joined Virat Kohli in an elite list.

At Lucknow, Rahul will be the joint-highest-paid player of the tournament history. The franchise has signed him for ₹17 crore, the same amount in which Kohli was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2018. Rahul was leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the past couple of seasons but failed to come up with considerable success before the franchise decided to let go of him.

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Lucknow will be entering the mega auction with a purse amount of ₹59.89 crore. As a part of its early-bird signings, it has also roped in Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (₹9.2 crore) and uncapped Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi (₹4 crore). "KL is not only an outstanding batsman but also a great wicketkeeper," said Lucknow owner Sanjiv Goenka on Star Sports.

"Yes, KL will be the captain. I have been very impressed with his batting and wicketkeeping and his leadership skills. He is evolving, growing, maturing as a leader. He is somebody I would have wanted to lead the team, and I do believe that given the right atmosphere and environment, he will emerge as a remarkable leader," Goenka added.

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On the other hand, the Ahmedabad franchise has signed Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan (₹15 crore each), and Indian opener Shubman Gill (₹8 crore). Pandya will be leading the side, as the franchise will have an auction purse of ₹52 crore.