‘Was a big shock’: KL Rahul finally opens up on viral chat with Sanjiv Goenka

India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, for the first time in almost six months, opened up on the viral animated chat with Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka during the IPL 2024, which is speculated to be the reason behind the two parting ways ahead of the mega auction for the next season.
A video from the LSG dugout went viral on social media and created quite a stir in Indian cricket after Goenka was seen publicly scolding Rahul following the team’s loss in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Indian entrepreneur, who was criticised for his act and for interfering in the team’s on-field matter, attempted to douse the fire by inviting Rahul for a private dinner. But the speculations that all is still not good in the LSG dressing room remained, and it eventually peaked after Rahul was released from LSG ahead of the next season.
Speaking for the first time about the incident, Rahul admitted that it wasn’t the nicest thing to be part of and that all the teammates reacted “shockingly.”
“As a team, we were all in shock because we were at the stage in that tournament where every game was very important. We had to win, I think, three out of five games or two out of the last four games. When this happened, it was just a big shock for all of us,” said Rahul on Star Sports.
“Whatever happened on the field after the game wasn’t the nicest thing to be part of or something that anyone wants to see on the cricket field. I think it did affect the entire group. We still had a chance to make it into the playoffs. We had a chat as a team and tried to regroup, put everything aside, and try to put our best foot forward. We tried our best, but unfortunately, our best wasn’t good enough always. It was a bummer that we couldn’t really make the playoffs or win the season as we had hoped,” he added.
Rahul recalled that match against Hyderabad, where Lucknow posted a below-par 165, where he scored a sluggish 33-ball 29. In response, Travis Head (89 off 30) and Abhishek (75 off 28) carved out yet another roaring opening stand to help Sunrisers chase down the target in just 9.4 overs.
Speaking about that match, Rahul said, “I don’t really know how much was made outside, but I just remember it was probably one of the worst games I’ve been part of as a player. But also, just from behind the stumps, I was amazed at how Sunrisers battered us. We watched on TV how dominating or how dangerous Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were.
“But to see it from up close, anything that we did that day seemed to find the boundary. Any ball our bowlers bowled seemed to hit the middle of the bat and fly into the crowd. To get 160, 170 runs in nine odd overs was ridiculous. And almost like, we had to pinch ourselves to know what really happened.”