Following the team’s devastating 10-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, captain of the Lucknow Super Giants and franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka got into a furious discussion, probably about the team’s play and strategy.
The LSG set Sunrisers Hyderabad a target of 166 runs when they batted first. But in 9.4 overs, or 62 deliveries, Sunrisers openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma achieved the objective.
While Sharma hit an undefeated 75 runs in 28 balls, Head hammered an undefeated 89 runs in just 30 deliveries.
After the loss, Goenka was spotted arguing angrily with KL Rahul close to the LSG dugout, and it didn’t seem like they were attempting to work things out.
According to recent speculations, KL Rahul, whom LSG acquired for ₹17 crore at the IPL 2022 auction, might not be retained by the team in the 2025 IPL auction.
There is a five-day break before the following matchup with Washington. Although no decision has been made as of yet, it is believed that the management won’t object if Rahul decides to focus solely on his batting for the final two games, an IPL source informed PTI.
In addition, there is a chance that Rahul won’t be captain for the next two IPL games. Vice captain Nicholas Pooran will probably take over for the final two games if he chooses to step down.
KL Rahul in the IPL 2024: Based on statistical data, the player has amassed 460 runs at an average of 38.33 across 12 IPL games. What worries me, though, is his strike rate of 136.09. Rahul’s 29 off 33 balls in the previous game against SRH had an impact on the scoreline.
LSG in the IPL 2024:
Based on statistics, LSG is now in sixth place with 12 points from 12 games, having won six of them. Their run-rate net is -0.769.
LSG’s chances of winning the IPL:
LSG can make it to the finals, but first they need to defeat the Delhi Capitals at New Delhi on May 14 and the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede on May 17. Furthermore, they will need to raise the extremely low net run-rate (-0.760).