Amit Mishra lifts lid on Sanjiv Goenka vs KL Rahul saga in IPL 2024, claims LSG will get new captain

Sanjiv Goenka’s public outburst on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul was termed “storm in a tea cup” by Lance Klusener during the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Goenka was seen having an animated chat with Rahul after LSG were hammered by Sunrisers Hyderabad (KKR) in the one-sided contest. While veteran pacer Mohammad Shami called Goenka’s public reprimand shameful, some fans even urged Rahul to part ways with the franchise after the unfortunate post-match incident.

What did Goenka say to LSG captain Rahul after the SRH’s demolition job? Veteran spinner Amit Mishra recalled the controversial incident in his recent conversation with YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra. Speaking at the podcast, Mishra revealed that Goenka was ‘disappointed’ after LSG were completely outplayed by a free-scoring SRH side at the IPL 2024. Lucknow had a similar no-show against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as Rahul and Co. lost consecutive games in the league phase.

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‘It was not a huge deal’

“He (Goenka) was disappointed. We lost two back-to-back matches very badly. Against KKR, we lost by some 90-100 runs and against SRH, the match was finished within 10 overs. It felt like we were bowling them during a net practice session. If I am so angry about it, will someone who has actually put money into the team not feel angry? It was not a huge deal. But I later came to know that he said that the bowling was very bad and the team should have shown some fight. It looked like you have completely surrendered. But I feel people and media hyped it up a bit,” Mishra said.

Lucknow Super Giants made Rahul the joint-highest-paid player in IPL history in 2022. Goenka-owned franchise signed Rahul for INR 17 crore at the time. Only Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Virat Kohli has been signed for the same amount in IPL. Mishra raised plenty of eyebrows with his remarks about Kohli. Sharing his views in the same podcast, the veteran spinner mentioned that LSG will eye a better captain in the forthcoming season of the cash-rich league.

LSG to sack Rahul?

Rahul failed to seal his place in India’s World Cup squad for the T20 World Cup during the IPL 2024. The LSG skipper smashed 520 runs in 14 games last season. “It does not matter if he is in the Indian team or not. But a person who has the right mentality for T20s should be the captain. Someone who plays for the team should be captain. I am sure LSG will look for a better captain,” he added. The senior batter will make his India return in the One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka.