KL Rahul has played for five IPL franchises across 13 seasons. At every stop, the runs have come. At every stop, something has gone wrong. A viral post on X listing his exits from RCB, SRH, PBKS, LSG, and now the questions around DC concluded with a simple verdict: “If you are having problem with every other team then you are the problem not them.” The numbers tell a different story.
Rahul became the first player in IPL history to score 1,000 or more runs for three different franchises. He has crossed 500 runs in eight separate seasons. His IPL 2026 campaign with Delhi Capitals produced 593 runs at a strike rate of 174.41, the highest of his career. He smashed 152 not out against Punjab Kings, the highest individual score by an Indian batter in men’s T20 cricket. These are not the numbers of a player who fails at franchises. These are the numbers of a player who keeps succeeding while the relationship around him keeps breaking.
KL Rahul has problem with RCB
KL Rahul has problem with SRH
KL Rahul has problem with PBKS
KL Rahul has problem with LSG
Now KL Rahul has problem with DC
If you are having problem with every other team then you are the problem not them. pic.twitter.com/Oqb1S3DAZx— Vaibhav (@spideynation_) September 2, 2026
The franchise timeline tells its own story.
| Franchise | Years | Runs | How It Ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCB | 2013, 2016 | 397 (2016) | Released. Young player without a fixed role. |
| SRH | 2014 | 166 | Released after one season. Still developing. |
| PBKS | 2018-2021 | 2,548 | Left voluntarily. Won Orange Cap 2020. Said he “wanted to see what’s in store.” |
| LSG | 2022-2024 | 1,274 | Not retained. Reports of friction with owner Sanjiv Goenka after a public on-camera exchange. Said he wanted “freedom” and a “lighter atmosphere.” |
| DC | 2025-2026 | 1,132 | Bought for INR 14 crore. Not given captaincy. According to reports, batting position remained a point of tension. Now reported as frontrunner to captain DC in IPL 2027. |
The first two exits were unremarkable. A young player moving through the system before establishing himself. The pattern begins at Punjab Kings.
Rahul scored 2,548 runs in four seasons at PBKS, won the Orange Cap in 2020 with 670 runs, and hit the then-fastest fifty in IPL history off 14 balls. He captained the franchise for two seasons. Despite all of this, he chose to leave.
“I have been with them for four years and I’ve had a great run with them. Just wanted to see what’s in store for me and if there’s a new journey for me. It was a tough call obviously.”
KL Rahul, Red Bull Cricket interview, ahead of IPL 2022
At Lucknow Super Giants, the exit was louder. Rahul led the franchise to playoffs in their debut season and again in 2023. After a heavy loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, owner Sanjiv Goenka was filmed having an animated exchange with Rahul on camera. The moment went viral and, according to reports, marked the beginning of the end of the relationship. Months later, LSG did not retain him. The question of player security inside Indian cricket is not new, but the Goenka incident made it impossible to ignore.
Goenka’s explanation after the retention announcement was pointed.
“It was a simple mindset to bring in players who think about winning and put the team above personal ambitions.”
Sanjiv Goenka, LSG retention announcement, October 2024
Rahul’s response came in a pre-auction interview.
“I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options, and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom.”
KL Rahul, interview ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction, November 2024
The word “freedom” is one Rahul has used more than once. It carries weight. A player who has captained two franchises and scored over 5,800 IPL runs does not use that word casually. Something in the environment kept tightening around him.
Why Does KL Rahul Keep Changing IPL Teams?
KL Rahul has changed franchises five times in 13 IPL seasons because the same conflict repeats at every stop: his role never matches his stature. At PBKS, he outgrew the franchise. At LSG, the ownership clashed with him publicly. At DC, he was bought for INR 14 crore but the captaincy went to Axar Patel.
The strike rate criticism has followed him for years. After scoring 11 off 14 balls while chasing 202 in IPL 2020, he made a statement that became a lightning rod.
“Look, I think strike rate is very, very overrated. For me, it’s only about how I can win games for my team.”
KL Rahul, post-match press conference, KXIP vs SRH, IPL 2020
That statement defined how franchises and critics viewed him for the next four years. At LSG, his strike rate of 130.7 sat well below the season average for openers. According to reports, nineteen openers struck faster than him in IPL 2024. Analysis showed that when Rahul scored at strike rates above 150, his teams won 66% of the time. When he scored between 111 and 136, wins dropped to 46%.
Then IPL 2026 happened. Rahul posted a career-high strike rate of 174.41. His 152 not out came off just 67 balls with 25 boundaries. It was a similar story to how Mayank Yadav described feeling free under a different captain. Without the captaincy burden, Rahul’s batting transformed. DC owner Parth Jindal had bought him knowing exactly what he would get.
“Stability, number one. He’s an incredible, technically solid batsman. 450 runs guaranteed, which is something he’s done his whole career.”
Parth Jindal, DC co-owner, ESPNcricinfo interview, ahead of IPL 2025 auction
Jindal got more than 450. He got 593 in IPL 2026 alone. And DC still finished sixth, missing playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. According to a Times of India report from June 2026, Rahul is now the frontrunner to replace Axar Patel as Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2027. Former CSK batter S Badrinath had speculated before IPL 2026 that Rahul’s batting position remained a source of tension within the DC setup. According to reports, his preference to open conflicted with the team management’s plans for him in the middle order.
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When a franchise pays INR 14 crore for a player who has captained two previous teams, but hands the armband to someone else, the dressing room feels it. It does not matter how professionally the senior player handles it. Every teammate sees a former captain standing at slip while someone younger calls the shots. The authority splits. Players start looking at two people for decisions. The captain knows it. The former captain knows it. This is the captaincy shadow, and it follows KL Rahul at every franchise where he is not leading. At PBKS, he was captain and things worked until he outgrew the setup. At LSG, he was captain and the owner overruled him publicly. At DC, he was not captain, and the tension shifted from confrontation to something quieter. The cycle is about to start again.
The “problem with every team” verdict is popular but incomplete. Rahul’s numbers have been elite at every franchise. His IPL career average sits at 46.15 across 159 matches. He has 51 half-centuries, tied with Rohit Sharma. He was recently named India’s Test vice-captain for the Afghanistan series. The pattern that repeats across IPL franchises is not about a player who is unwanted. It echoes what Mohammad Kaif observed about Virat Kohli not being wanted in certain setups: elite performers whose presence reshapes the power dynamic whether they intend it or not.
The pattern is not that KL Rahul fails at franchises. The pattern is that KL Rahul succeeds at franchises while the relationship around him deteriorates. Whether that is the player’s temperament, the franchise’s management, or something structural about how the IPL handles senior players without captaincy, the evidence does not point in one direction alone.
Five franchises. Over 5,800 runs. Zero trophies. The search for “freedom” continues.
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