Lucknow Super Giants’ defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 delivered a big blow to their hopes of reaching the playoffs. More than the result, it was the manner of LSG’s defeat that raised questions over their approach, as SRH secured a 10-wicket win, reaching the target in less than 10 overs. LSG owner decided to confront skipper KL Rahul after the conclusion of the match, with their heated chat going viral on social media. Though LSG have not issued any statement on the matter of the subject, a report has revealed what the conversation was about.
As per a report in the Indian Express, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka wasn’t pleased with his team’s approach with the bat after going out to bat first. In a pitch that offered little help to bowlers, the tourists could only put 165 runs on the board. In reply, Pat Cummins‘ men chased it down in just 9.4 overs without losing a single wicket.
Goenka decided to ask the franchise’s skipper KL Rahul some tough questions, especially as he himself scored 29 runs from 33 balls. For the Sunriers, the opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma went at a strike rate of 296.66 and 267.85 respectively, LSG skipper Rahul could only score at 87.87.
During the chat with Rahul, Goenka reportedly raised questions on the following topics:
– Team’s style of play
– Missing intent
How did KL Rahul react to the confrontation from the owner?
As per the report, Rahul went about his business as usual, even during the formal meetings. But, it has also been said that there were discussions about Rahul’s role as the team’s captain behind closed doors.
Rahul is the top-earning player at the Lucknow franchise, fetching a sum of INR 17 crore annually. The team finished 2nd and 3rd under the India batter but might not qualify for playoffs this term.
While there’s no talk of Rahul being sacked as the team’s captain immediately, Goenka is known to have pulled off such a decision once before when he was the owner of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants side in the IPL. Back then, the management had sacked MS Dhoni as the captain and given charge to Steve Smith.
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