The following is a story about a very different moment in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 when KL Rahul ignored the former team owner Sanjiv Goenka after the match. On its way up through IPL 2025 fans and media started to go crazy as it can’t be said that his cold gesture went unseen but people’s attention turned to Rahul’s past relationships and was also brought forth by this moment.
The Delhi Capitals played against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Delhi won the match by eight wickets, and Rahul played a big part with a consistent half-century; players and officials met up to say welcome after the match. Rahul’s presence at LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka when he reached it, went in and didn’t stop and acknowledge him. Goenka looked too proud to talk to Rahul.
This short clip was widely posted online, with captions like KL Rahul peaked here and 7000 Cr owner ignored brutally. The moment Rahul sent a strong message to the former franchise.
KL Rahul had commanded Lucknow Super Giants earlier in the season. There are reports that Rahul had fallen out of favour with Goenka after LSG’s poor performances in 2024. In the week before IPL 2025, Rahul was purchased by Delhi Capitals for ₹14 crore.
Social media erupted with memes and debates. Rahul was praised for confidence and independence while others felt that it was not enough. What's funny is that IPL is not all about cricket so much in addition to the sport and all about the people on the field and off the field.
A move to Delhi Capitals brought Rahul a fresh shot of opportunity. From now on he is a wicketkeeper–batter with no more role to play. Though he is not part of India’s T20I team he is in an ODI, Test and IPL that brings him back to centre stage. That viral moment with Goenka added to his image.
In this case, the incident only lasted a matter of seconds but it was one of IPL 2025’s most talked-about incidents. That is the nature of cricket. While his move could have been meant for this or just a passing gesture if it was something of flirting with the club (even casual), it raised debate as to what happened.
