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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul faced the wrath of fans after his sedate knock in the IPL 2024 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow hosted the clash on Sunday, May 5.
KKR batted first and notched up a huge total of 235/6 in 20 overs. Opener Sunil Narine (81) was the protagonist for the visiting team with the bat. LSG then needed a strong start to get themselves a platform to chase down a massive target like 236.
KL Rahul started things on a positive note with a four on the very first ball of the innings. However, he could not build on that and play a brisk knock. He went into a shell and scored a labored knock of 25 (21) when the required run rate was steadily going up. LSG went on to get all-out for 137 in 16.1 overs and lost the match by 98 runs.
Fans were highly disappointed after watching KL Rahul's poor batting performance in the chase against KKR and expressed their reactions through X. Here are some of the top reactions:
One of the fans opined that Rahul has not been able to do justice to his talent by writing on X:
"KL Rahul is a talented man. He has the potential to be among the best in the world, but doesn't have the confidence, courage, and risk-taking abilities to do justice to himself. He almost always fizzles out when his team needs him the most.
"Chasing 236 in a T20, one expects a quickfire start from the openers to set the tempo for the middle order. But KL makes a subdued 25 in 21 balls. Not that wickets were falling at the other end. He just doesn't back himself. Does the same in international cricket too."
Expressing disappointment about Rahul's sedate knock against KKR in a steep chase another fan wrote:
"He is not that KL Rahul, which I used to know He was a beast T20 batter while batting first or chasing his batting was a treat to watch in T20 Cricket Sadly he is a No more beast in T20 Cricket."
An X user criticized the LSG captain by writing:
"Want to see KL Rahul going to auctions. Doubt if any team will bid for him."
"Our batting was really poor"- LSG captain KL Rahul after dismal loss against KKR in IPL 2024
After the match, LSG skipper KL Rahul acknowledged that the pressure of chasing a huge total cost their wickets as they were constantly looking to score runs briskly. Reflecting on the loss, he said:
"It was a lot of runs to be scored, when you chase a big total you try to go too hard and lose wickets. Just a poor performance overall. Poor performance with bat, ball and field. We've seen how Sunil Narine and Phil Salt bat in the powerplay, they put a lot of pressure."
Rahul continued:
"That's the IPL, you come up against some great players, your character is tested, and we just weren't up to the mark today. The wicket was really good, felt like a true wicket. Was a bit of bounce, but nothing out of the ordinary. 235 was probably 20-30 runs above par. Our batting was really poor, but that's what happens when you are up against a tall total."
LSG will next face SRH on May 8 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
