Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor Gautam Gambhir has said that KL Rahul shouldn’t get bogged down by the pressure of his heavy price tag. Rahul, moving on from Punjab Kings, was signed by Lucknow for a whopping 17 crore, the joint-highest ever in the IPL with Virat Kohli, who received 17 crore per season from RCB between 2018 and 2021.
“It is for the support staff to make him feel free. The biggest burden will not be the price tag but the pressure to perform,” Gambhir told NDTV.
The mega-auction is set to take place on February 12 and 13. Gambhir, a two-time IPL winning captain with KKR, asserted that they only want players who are committed to their franchise for the two-month period and not thinking of using IPL performances as a platform towards the national side.
Gautam Gambhir believes that playing from your country will be a byproduct of IPL success, but the cricketer should be willing to give his best for the franchise before.
“We want players who are honest, want to play for the franchise and who do not think of playing for India in those two months. Playing for India is a by-product. We want performances for Lucknow,” the former KKR captain added.
KL Rahul is touted to lead India in the future, while Bishnoi is an emerging leg-spinner and is expected to don the blue India jersey soon. There will be other players, too, who would hope to gain the attention of the national selectors by performing well in the IPL.
“Appointing KL as captain was no brainer. We approached him and there was meeting of minds. I am very impressed with his cool approach and unflappable temperament. He is not very expressive and that’s also the way I am,” Goenka told NDTV.
“Gautam suggested we go in with an uncapped player. Bishnoi is a wicket-taker and an outstanding fielder. The combination is very good,” he added.
