What led to Sanjiv Goenka’s outburst at KL Rahul? Report reveals motive

Lucknow Super Giants’ defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 was a huge blow to their hopes of reaching the playoffs. More than the result, it was the manner in which LSG defeated that raised questions about their approach as SRH secured a 10-wicket victory, reaching the target in less than 10 overs. The LSG owner decided to confront captain KL Rahul after the match ended, and their heated exchange went viral on social media. Although LSG did not issue any statement on the matter, a report revealed what the conversation was about.

According to a report from the Indian Express, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was not satisfied with his team’s approach with the bat after batting first. On a pitch that did little to help the bowlers, the tourists only managed to score 165 runs. In response, Pat Cummins’ men chased him down in just 9.4 overs without losing a single wicket.

Goenka decided to ask franchise captain KL Rahul some tough questions, especially since he himself scored 29 runs off 33 balls. For Sunriers, the opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had a strike rate of 296.66 and 267.85 respectively, LSG captain Rahul could only score 87.87.

During the chat with Rahul, Goenka reportedly raised questions on the following topics:

– Team playing style

– Lack of intention

How did KL Rahul react to the owner’s confrontation?

According to the report, Rahul continued his life normally even during formal meetings. But it was also said that there were discussions about Rahul’s role as team captain behind closed doors.

Rahul is the highest-earning player of the Lucknow franchise, earning a sum of INR 17 million annually. The team finished second and third under the Indian batsman but may not qualify for the playoffs this season.

While there is no talk of Rahul being sacked as team captain immediately, Goenka is known to have taken such a decision once before when he was the owner of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants team in the IPL. At that time, the management sacked MS Dhoni as captain and gave the reins to Steve Smith.