After LSG were defeated by DC on May 14th, the former team’s skipper, KL Rahul, admitted that there have been flaws in the team that should have been addressed.
Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) dream run for a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs suffered a major blow after a 19-run defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday. This loss not only dented their own qualification chances but also ensured a top-four finish for the Rajasthan Royals.
Lucknow Super Giants’ batting woes continued, with their top order faltering once again. Captain KL Rahul fell in the very first over, followed by the quick dismissals of Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, and Deepak Hooda. This left them vulnerable early in the chase.
Nicholas Pooran, known for his aggressive batting style, attempted to revive the chase with a fifty. However, he lacked significant support from the other batters, with Ayush Badoni failing to convert his start. Pooran’s dismissal further dented their hopes, leaving the responsibility to the lower middle class.
While Arshad Khan played a valiant knock with a blistering half-century, losing wickets at regular intervals hampered LSG’s progress. Despite some support from Yudhvir Singh, Arshad could not take his team over the line, as LSG fell short of the target set by DC.
Speaking after the match, KL Rahul acknowledged their struggles in the powerplay overs throughout the season. “I feel the wicket remained the same throughout the 40 overs. When we got JFM out in the first over, we should have capitalised, but they—Hope and Porel—showed a lot of intent. We did well at the back end, and 200 was a par total; we should have chased it down,” said Rahul in the post-match conference.
He further stated that this inability to get a solid start has prevented them from utilising the firepower of players like Nicholas Pooran. “This has been a problem right through the season – we keep losing a lot of wickets in the Powerplay, we never get a solid start to get the likes of (Marcus) Stoinis and (Nicholas) Pooran in, that is the big reason why we are in this position,” added Rahul.
Though LSG’s playoff dream has been crushed, they still have one more game to play in the tournament. They will play their last IPL match on May 17th against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.
Last Updated on May 15, 2024
