LSG skipper KL Rahul visits Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain ahead of IPL 2024

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul was spotted visiting the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain ahead of IPL 2024. The much-awaited IPL will get underway with a clash between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday, March 22.

Rahul, who was out of action for quite some time with an injury, will return to competitive cricket in the upcoming edition of the IPL. Ahead of his much-awaited return, Rahul offered prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh.

Watch the clip here:

KL Rahul will hope that his prayers get answered as Lucknow aim to lift their maiden IPL trophy. The Super Giants, who joined the IPL sphere in 2022, reached the playoffs in both seasons but failed to make it to the final.

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KL Rahul to be available for LSG's first game on March 24

The Lucknow Super Giants skipper has been struggling with recurring quadriceps pain, which kept him out of the last four Tests against England. He visited London to consult with an expert last month and was at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehabilitation.

He has now been cleared by the NCA to participate in the IPL from the very first game, which is against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday, March 24.

"He will be very much available from the first game of the season," Cricbuzz quoted a franchise official as saying.

Rahul will also be donning the wicketkeeping gloves as he looks to stake a claim in India's T20 World Cup squad, which is scheduled to commence just a few days after IPL 2024 concludes. He is also expected to bat in the middle order to give himself the best shot to be on the plane to the USA and West Indies for the World Cup.

KL Rahul's last game for India in the shortest format came in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Adelaide. Opening the innings, the right-handed batter could manage only five runs as the Men in Blue suffered a thumping 10-wicket defeat against Australia to crash out of the tournament in the semi-finals.

Overall, Rahul has featured in 72 T20Is for India, accumulating 2265 runs, including two centuries and 22 fifties.