KL Rahul Shares Why IPL Captaincy Is More Stressful Than International Cricket: KL Rahul recently spoke about the pressure that comes with leading a team in the Indian Premier League. According to him, captaining an IPL side brings more stress than playing international cricket.
The 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batter had a turbulent run with the Lucknow Super Giants, including a much-talked-about on-field argument with team owner Sanjiv Goenka in 2024 after a heavy loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rahul eventually moved on from LSG after that season.
“More Draining Than 10 Months of International Cricket”
In a conversation with Jatin Sapru for Humans of Bombay, KL Rahul explained that IPL captains deal with constant pressure and scrutiny, often from people who may not fully understand the sport.
“What I found hard as a captain in the IPL was the number of meetings and reviews required, and having to explain decisions at the ownership level. I realised that by the end of the IPL, I was more mentally and physically drained than after playing 10 months of international cricket,” KL Rahul said.
KL Rahul added that both coaches and captains are flooded with questions throughout the tournament.
“Coaches and captains are constantly asked a lot of questions. After a point, it feels like you’re being interrogated-‘Why did you make this change? Why did he play in the XI? Why did the opposition score 200 while we couldn’t even get 120? Why are their bowlers getting more spin?’” he added.
Why International Cricket Feels Simpler
KL Rahul pointed out that such intense questioning doesn’t happen at the international level because the people involved understand the game deeply.
“These are questions we never get asked throughout the year because the coaches know what’s going on. You’re only answerable to coaches and selectors, who have all played cricket and understand the game,” he said.
He also shared how difficult it is to justify decisions to those outside the sporting world.
“No matter what you do, no matter how many boxes you tick, nothing in sport guarantees victory. That’s hard to explain to people from a non-sporting background,” he added.
Moving From LSG to Delhi Capitals
After leading LSG for three seasons, KL Rahul moved on and was picked up by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 14 crore in the 2025 mega auction. At DC, he chose not to take on the captaincy, which remained with all-rounder Axar Patel. Following an excellent season, Rahul was retained by Delhi ahead of the 2026 IPL auction.
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