But KL Rahul is seen more as the India captain-in-waiting and hence focus will be on him. Ambitious newcomers Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have splurged an IPL record-matching ₹17 crore to have Rahul before the player auctions. 

“No-brainer when it comes to KL Rahul, not just as a batter but as a leader as well. Obviously, it’s a work in progress, but he gives you three things: opens the batting, can keep wicket and is a phenomenal white-ball batter… What better than having someone who gives you three things.” 

That ringing endorsement from Gautam Gambhir, LSG mentor and twice former IPL-winning skipper, in comments to Star Sports IPL Selection Day means this will be an IPL season of test as much as opportunity for skipper Rahul. 

At 29, Rahul is regarded as a long-term captaincy prospect to Rohit Sharma, who succeeded Virat Kohli in all formats but will be 35 halfway through this IPL and has faced many fitness issues. 

Advantage at LSG 

Rahul starts with an advantage at Lucknow. His two-year captaincy stint with Punjab Kings was limited to leading with the bat in a team that struggled. LSG though can mount a credible title challenge, having assembled a strong squad. 

Gambhir, architect of strong buys at the players’ auction with team owner Sanjiv Goenka, could be Rahul’s best ally. His strong personality and Rahul’s calm approach can easily be a case of opposites attracting, if decisiveness proves a strong meeting point. 

Acquiring Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis - the first two are former international captains and all are multi-skilled - should immediately ease Rahul’s job as a leader. With the trio around and the Indian talent in batting and bowling, Rahul can be a more aggressive batter as well. 

The jury is out on Rahul’s captaincy though, after India lost the second Test at Johannesburg, and the ODI series 0-3. He got the role after Rohit Sharma was injured and Kohli had been removed as skipper. Rahul looked tentative and spoke of a learning process. 

After naming him skipper for the ODIs, chief selector Chetan Sharma though had said Rahul was being groomed. “Yes, definitely, we’re looking at KL Rahul at present (to groom as skipper). He is a three-format player… Most importantly, he proved his leadership quality, that's what all selectors think.” 

The South Africa experience didn't dampen his enthusiasm and Rahul hopes his captaincy graph could mirror his India career. That started in 2014-15 with a Test century at Sydney. Next series, when a journalist addressed him as Lokesh, he pointed out: “My name is Rahul”. It was his fourth Test - versus Sri Lanka in Colombo’s P Sara stadium - and had just scored his second century. 

That response at the media interaction was seen as quiet assurance, which many felt would fit well with his strong batting, an opinion that grew after a string of fifties in the comeback series win over Australia at home in early 2017. A shoulder injury followed by a shaky run tested him, until he grabbed the chance on the 2021 England tour after Mayank Agarwal’s concussion. That shaky spell in Tests seemed less technical - the in-swinger did get him as opener - but the early confidence seemed to wane. 

Slow but steady? 

IPL hasn’t weighed him down though. Last season, he was the third highest run-getter - leader Ruturaj Gaikwad scored nine more - and his six fifties and an average of 62.60 underlined consistency.  In four seasons with Punjab Kings, Rahul scored 2,548 runs. He was their leading run-getting in 2021 (626), the season-leading 30 sixes also showing his power-hitting abilities. With Andy Flower as coach in a strong unit, Rahul should be able to lead by example. 

Rahul seems to be regaining that old confidence. After South Africa, he hoped his captaincy grows steadily. 

“I’ve always got things slowly… It happened with how my journey as a cricketer has gone. I am quite confident my captaincy also will be similar,” he told ‘India Today’. “There are certain boxes I need to tick as a leader. If I am doing all of those things and if my team is happy with how I am leading them, that’s the most important thing.” 

Monday, versus fellow newbies Gujarat Titans, may provide a refreshing restart.