All is not well between Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul and owner Sanjiv Goenka. The problem started after Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated LSG by 10 wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Sanjiv lost his cool on Rahul and was seen scolding him after the contest. The public dressing down of India’s star batter shocked everyone including former players.
KL is likely to step down from captaincy for the remaining games in the 17th season. Also, the franchise will not retain him for IPL 2025. LSG scored 165/4 in 20 overs on a flat pitch. Chasing 166, Travis Head (89) and Abhishek Sharma (75) completed the task in just 9.4 overs.
According to News agency PTI, Rahul, who was roped in before the auction in 2022 for a record ₹17 crore, will be released. There is speculation that the skipper might leave the captain’s armband on his own to concentrate on his batting.
“There is a five-day gap before the next match against Delhi. No decision has been taken on Rahul’s captaincy but if he decides to leave the role, the management won’t mind,” an IPL source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Notably, Goenka was the owner of the Rising Pune Supergiants when MS Dhoni was removed from captaincy and Steve Smith took over in their second season.
LSG have 12 points from 12 games and will have to defeat DC and Mumbai Indians to qualify for the playoffs. Nicholas Pooran will lead Lucknow if Rahul steps aside.