Lucknow Super Giants' defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 dealt a major blow to their hopes of reaching the play-offs. More than the result, it was the manner in which LSG were defeated that raised questions about their approach as SRH secured a 10-wicket win, reaching the target in less than 10 overs. The LSG owner decided to confront skipper KL Rahul after the match after which their heated chat went viral on social media. While LSG has not made a statement on the subject, a report has revealed what the conversation was about.
According to a report in the Indian Express, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was unhappy with his team's approach with the bat after batting first. On a pitch that offered little help to the 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 skipper KL Rahul some tough questions, especially since he himself scored 29 runs off 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 conversation with Rahul, Goenka reportedly asked questions on the following topics:
– Playing style of the team
– Missing intention
How did KL Rahul react to the owner's confrontation?
According to the report, Rahul went about his business as usual even during the formal meetings. But it is also said that behind closed doors there were discussions about Rahul's role as captain of the team.
Rahul is the highest-earning player in the Lucknow franchise and rakes in an amount of INR 17 crore annually. The team finished 2nd and 3rd under Indian batting but may not qualify for the play-offs this season.
While there is no talk of Rahul being immediately removed as captain of the team, it is known that Goenka has made such a decision before when he owned the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiants side in the IPL. At that time, the management had sacked MS Dhoni as captain and given the charge to Steve Smith.
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