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KL Rahul Breaks Silence on Viral Dugout Clash with LSG Owner Sanjiv Goenka in IPL 2024: ‘A Big Shock for the Team’

For the first time in over six months, India’s wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has spoken out against the viral incident involving Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka during the IPL 2024. The exchange, which went viral online, is said to have contributed to Rahul’s departure from the squad before of the 2018 season’s blockbuster auction.

The video, shot in the LSG dugout, shows Goenka reprimanding Rahul following a key loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, causing outrage over the owner’s public involvement in team operations. Despite Goenka’s attempt to make peace by calling Rahul to a private dinner, rumors of dissension inside the LSG camp persisted, resulting in Rahul’s final dismissal from the squad.

KL Rahul Reflects on the Controversial Incident

Addressing Star Sports, Rahul expressed that the occurrence was “not the most pleasant thing to be a piece of,” and that it left his partners “in shock.”He explained, “As a team, we were all stunned because we were at a critical point in the tournament.” Every game was critical for us to progress. When this happened, it was a great shock for everyone.”

Rahul went on to describe the incident’s impact, saying, “What transpired after the game was not anything anyone wanted to witness on the cricket pitch. It had an impact on the group, but we attempted to move past it and focus on the playoffs instead. We gave our best, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot.”

Reflecting on the Match Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rahul recalled the historic encounter against Hyderabad, in which Lucknow fought to score a competitive 165. Rahul produced a modest 29 from 33 balls, but Sunrisers’ Travis Head (89 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (75 off 28) startled LSG by chasing the target in just 9.4 overs.

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Reflecting on the loss, Rahul said, “It was one of the worst games I’ve ever played.” It was weird to see Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma smash our bowling from up close. Whatever we did appeared to strike the boundary, and every shot they took struck the middle of the bat. We had to pinch ourselves to believe what transpired that day. The heated match and following controversy had a long-term impact on LSG, capping off a difficult IPL 2024 campaign.

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