IPL 2026: KKR interested in trading KL Rahul

As a part of latest development, Kolkata Knight Riders are looking to add star India cricketer KL Rahul to their squad ahead of the upcoming 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League. The move to bring in KL Rahul comes shortly after the team bid goodbye to Bharat Arun and Chandrakant Pandit from its coaching staff. Whether he will be brought in as a captain or a specialist batter, remains unknown as yet.

If rumours come into realization, this will be the sixth team for Rahul in his IPL career, after the Karnataka batter started his career in the cash-rich league with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He saw his most flourishing years in the league with Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru).

Notably, IPL 2024 did not go as planned for ace wicketkeeper-batter Rahul, as franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time. Fans and experts came together to blame Rahul's sluggish strike-rates and slow knocks in pressure situations as the reason behind their failure. This is when the team released him, and he was picked by the Delhi Capitals to play as a specialist batter.

The move worked wonders for both DC and Rahul, as the batter ended as their highest run-getter of the tournament and the side came close to qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament. Despite being a late entrant into the Playing XI, the Mangalore-born scored 539 runs from 13 games at an astonishing average of 53.90, and the strike-rate touched a solid 150. Since then, Rahul has been in a sensational form, carrying his form into the Test format as well.

Rahul's terrific form in England

He is currently the second-highest run-scorer for India in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. In the four games against England so far, the dynamic batter has played as an opener for the Indian team, scoring two magnificent centuries and a couple of half-centuries as well. He has scored 511 runs in eight innings at an average of 63.87. He will certainly look to end his tour to the United Kingdom on a high, with the fifth and final Test of the series underway at the Kennington Oval in London.