KL Rahul recently flew down to Kolkata to meet Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka at the latter’s Alipore office.
New Delhi: The animated chat between Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka and captain KL Rahul after their loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 still draws people’s attention. LSG all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham became the latest to open up on the issue. He recalled that Goenka was upset with the team’s performance and stated that Rahul was trying to explain to his boss what went wrong.
Following SRH’s 10-wicket win over LSG, Goenka lost his calm as he was caught on camera having a animated chat with Rahul. The clip went viral in no time on social media, drawing severe criticism on the LSG owner. The loss also meant LSG were out of the playoff contention due to net run rate. Goenka was seen extremely disappointed with the performance, especially KL Rahul, who made 20 runs off 33 balls in that match.
“He (franchise owner Sanjeev Goenka) was a little disappointed with the way (we) lost the game. Any human will have emotions and will go through that rollercoaster. KL being KL, he kept his calm. He heard him out. He didn’t take either of the side. He didn’t take the owner’s side or the players’ side. He kept his calm and was listening to everything because he had to analyse it before explaining it (to Goenka on what went wrong),” Gowtham stated.
“It was a little animated but I think a person who has invested a lot of time and effort in the team and to see the way we lost that game. I think it shows the kind of passion he has for the team and the values he has for the team. He wants us to win everything and he wants us to enjoy that. (The loss) disappointed him and that’s why he reacted the way he reacted,” he added.
Lucknow Super Giants ended their IPL 2024 campaign at seventh spot with seven wins and seven losses. While several media reports state that the Goenka wants to have a new captain in IPL 2025, Rahul flew down to Kolkata to meet the LSG boss at the latter’s office. Although Goenka stated Rahul is like a ‘family’ but there remains doubt whether the star Indian batter would continue with the team in next season.
Recently, LSG unveiled former India pacer Zaheer Khan as the mentor of the side. He will also couple up with the role of a bowling coach, which was vacant since reports of Morne Morkel joining the Indian national team came out.