IPL 2025, DC vs LSG: Why KL Rahul Is Not Playing For Delhi Capitals In Visakhapatnam?

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KL Rahul, one of Delhi Capitals' latest acquisitions, will be absent from the team's opening match of the IPL 2025 season against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) due to personal reasons. The star Indian cricketer, who is expecting his first child with wife Athiya Shetty, has been granted leave by the franchise to be by her side.

"He has returned home to be with his wife, as the baby is expected any time. However, he is certain to be available for the team's next game," the family friend was quoted as saying.

The 32-year-old rushed back to Mumbai on Sunday night, as the couple awaits the arrival of their baby. According to a family friend via Cricbuzz, Rahul is likely to return to the squad for Delhi Capitals' second fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 30.

Rahul has been in exceptional form recently, playing a crucial role in India's Champions Trophy victory in Dubai. Despite being left out of India's T20I plans, he has expressed his ambition to make a comeback in the shortest format.

Before joining the Delhi Capitals camp in Visakhapatnam, Rahul prepared extensively in Mumbai under the guidance of Abhishek Nayar, India's assistant coach. His dedication to training was evident, with an aim to deliver strong performances this IPL season.

The Delhi Capitals secured Rahul for INR 12 crore at the mega auction after he concluded his captaincy stint with LSG, a team he led for three consecutive seasons. As Delhi Capitals gear up to face LSG, Rahul's absence will undoubtedly be felt, but his anticipated return in the next match is expected to bolster the squad.

Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, RS Hangargekar, Ravi Bishnoi, Shamar Joseph, Akash Deep, Shahbaz Ahmed, Manimaran Siddharth, Akash Maharaj Singh, Aiden Markram, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Aryan Juyal, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi.

Delhi Capitals Squad: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Karun Nair, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari.