KL Rahul, wicket-keeper-batsman of India, has recently recalled a heated discussion he had with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka after losing the much-needed 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
In that particular game, LSG needed a big win over SRH to make it to the playoffs, but they went down by 10 wickets. Later, the owner of LSG was clearly infuriated by the outcome and was seen having a heated exchange with Rahul along the boundary at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
"As a team, we were all shocked as we were at the stage in that tournament where every game was very important. We had to win, I think, three out of five games or two out of the last four games. When this happened, it was just a big shock for all of us, Rahul shared on Star Sports.
"Whatever happened on the field after the game wasn't the nicest thing to be part of or something that anyone wants to see on the cricket field. I think it did affect the entire group. We still had a chance to make it into the playoffs. We had a chat as a team and tried to regroup, put everything aside, and try to put our best foot forward. We tried our best, but unfortunately, our best wasn't good enough always. It was a bummer that we couldn't really make the playoffs or win the season as we had hoped," he added.
While the text of the on-field chat was inaudible, the animated banter that went air captured much attention on social media as fans and analysts felt that such exchanges should remain behind closed doors away from hordes of viewers.
In the match, LSG elected to bat after LSG won the toss and reached 165. But Rahul's slow 29 off 33 balls was balanced out by a cracking 99-run partnership between Ayush Badoni, who scored 55, and Nicholas Pooran, who made 48, that took LSG to a respectable score. SRH's openers Travis Head with 89 off 30 balls and Abhishek Sharma with 75 off 28 balls literally dismantled the bowling of LSG, chasing the target within 9.4 overs without losing a single wicket.
Reflecting on the game, Rahul says, "I don't know how much was made outside, but I just remember that it was probably one of the worst games I've been part of as a player. But also, from behind the stumps, I was amazed at how Sunrisers battered us. We watched how dominating or how dangerous Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were on TV.".
"But to see it from close quarters, anything that we did that day seemed to find the boundary. Any ball our bowlers bowled seemed to hit the middle of the bat and fly into the crowd. To get 160, 170 runs in nine odd overs was ridiculous. And almost like, we had to pinch ourselves to know what really happened."
In a surprising move on the IPL 2025 retention day, LSG decided to release Rahul, putting an end to the three-year partnership with their erstwhile skipper. Nicholas Pooran was retained as the most expensive player at Rs 21 crore, while Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav were retained for Rs 11 crore each, and Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan cost Rs 4 crore each.
Read also| Usman Khawaja Supports Nathan McSweeney as Opening Partner for BGT
Read also| Ponting Responds After Kohli's Comment Provokes Furious Reaction from Gambhir
