KL Rahul is considering stepping down as captain of the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2024 season. This decision comes after a tough loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad and criticism from team owner Sanjiv Goenka. The team’s chances of making it to the playoffs have taken a hit with consecutive defeats against the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
During their recent match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants struggled to score runs, while their opponents performed exceptionally well. This defeat highlighted the team’s difficulties, leading to speculation that KL Rahul might resign as captain. According to reports from the Press Trust of India (PTI), KL Rahul, who was signed for a record ₹17 crore before the 2022 auction, is unlikely to be retained by the team for the next season.
However, there are rumors that Rahul might choose to step down voluntarily and focus on his batting in the remaining two games of the season.
“There is a five-day gap before the next game against DC. As of now, no decision has been taken but it is understood that if Rahul plans to just concentrate on his batting for the remaining two games, the management won’t mind,” an IPL source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Rising Pune Supergiants during their second season, replaced MS Dhoni with Steve Smith as captain. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) still have a chance to make it to the playoffs if they win their remaining two matches against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.
Challenges Ahead for LSG and Potential Leadership Shift
However, improving their net run-rate significantly will be a tough task. If KL Rahul steps down as captain, Nicholas Pooran, the vice-captain and the team’s most impactful batter, is likely to take over for the last two games. After a poor performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, videos of Sanjiv Goenka’s conversation with Rahul circulated on social media.
Despite facing more balls than the Sunrisers Hyderabad batters,, KL Rahul only managed to score 29 runs with a strike rate of 87, which is lower compared to the explosive partnership of Head and Abhishek. Although Rahul has been scoring runs consistently, his strike rate remains a concern.
Among the top 10 batters for the Orange Cap, Rahul’s strike rate of 136 is the second-worst. His lack of aggression while opening in T20s has kept him out of the Indian T20I side since the 2022 World Cup.
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