LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka (left) with team skipper K L Rahul.
Credit: PTI, X/@klrahul Photos.
After Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a resounding 10-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday— internet was flooded with reactions from netizens on a clip involving LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka and team skipper K L Rahul in a dramatic post match discussion that seemed unusual.
After the crushing loss as LSG slipped to sixth in the IPL points table, Goenka seemed to be upset over the uphill task before LSG to qualify for the matches ahead.
Of the 12 matches played, LSG lost six and will be now eyeing a sharper all-round game to spot a position in the top teams.
In the video clip that is widely being shared by netizens on the web, Rahul is seen calm while Goenka uses gestures to explain a situation (unknown) as he is also serious. A user referring to Rahul, wrote on social media: "LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka having chat with KL Rahul after today's match. Feel for KL Rahul and I hope he will comeback stronger."
An X user recalled another such on-filed instance involving former India team captain M S Dhoni, and expressed.
"Sanjiv Goenka is the worst team owner in IPL history. He mistreated MS Dhoni at Rising Pune Supergiant, sacked him as captain. The way he is treating KL Rahul now in front of public is absurd. Whenever you own something, be like Shah Rukh Khan and not like him #IPL2024."
"This Sanjiv Goenka Lucknow Super Giants IPL team’s owner is a serial offender and he has disrespected MS Dhoni when he captained Pune team also," wrote a netizen again recalling the instance involving Goenka and Dhoni.
As the discussion between Goenka and Rahul was being aired on live television, the commentators can be heard saying: "You always feel these conversations should always be behind closed doors. There are so many cameras that miss nothing, and KL Rahul is not going to go at press conferences and various other things and probably potentially explain what is being discussed there. He has done well here to keep his cool."
Another user wrote: "Yesterday it was Parth, today it's LSG owner, Sanjiv Goenka. Such an animated discussion with #KLRahul, was looking very bad on screen. Sanjiv was looking furious and it was all happening in open. The owner should not treat players like this."
With a hashtag that read "#KLRahul"— a UPSC aspirant took to his X handle where he wrote: "The way LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka treated KL Rahul on camera is shameful and I strongly condemn it. It is not justified to treat your own captain like this. This will make him uncomfortable and it will have a clear impact on his performance."
While Rahul made a laborious 29 from 33 balls— Nicholas Pooran's 48 off 26 balls, and Ayush Badoni's 55 runs off 30 ball helped LSG set a target of 165 in the IPL game on Wednesday.
Openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head held the crease tight as they hit 14 sixes and 16 boundaries, powering SRH home in just 9.4 overs without losing any wicket.