Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowling all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham has come forward with a new revelation regarding the infamous Sanjiv Goenka-KL Rahul episode, which occurred during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Lucknow Super Giants suffered a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 8 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.
After the match, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka entered the field and was seen brutally attacking Rahul in front of everyone. He was caught on camera having a heated conversation with Rahul and head coach Justin Langer. This act by the team owner did not go down well with the fans, who criticised him for his behaviour towards the team captain.
Following the incident, several cricketers, LSG stars and coaches spoke out about it, with some reports even claiming that the franchise was unhappy with Rahul’s captaincy and that he would be sacked before the start of the upcoming season.
The latest comments on the infamous episode came from none other than Krishnappa Gowtham, who played that match against SRH and had the lowest economy (14.50) among LSG players.
Speaking to CricTracker, Gowtham stated that Goenka was extremely disappointed with the way LSG lost the match and criticised KL Rahul, who remained calm and listened to everything before explaining things to the team owner.
“He [franchise owner Sanjeev Goenka] I was a little disappointed with the way [we] He lost the game. Every human being has emotions and goes through that roller coaster. KL, being KL, stayed calm. He listened. He didn’t take either side. He didn’t take the owner’s side or the players’ side. He stayed calm and listened to everything because he had to analyze it before he explained it. [to Goenka on what went wrong]“Gowtham said.
It was a bit lively but… – Krishnappa Gowtham on the Sanjiv Goenka-KL Rahul IPL episode
Gowtham further admitted that Sanjiv Goenka was in high spirits, but justified his actions by saying that he had invested a lot of time and effort into the team, hence the angry reaction.
“He was a bit excited, but I think he’s a person who has invested a lot of time and effort into the team and to see the way we lost that game. I think it shows the kind of passion he has for the team and the values he has for the team. He wants us to win everything and he wants us to enjoy that. [The loss] “I let him down and that’s why he reacted the way he did,” Gowtham added.
Meanwhile, Sanjiv Goenka recently addressed a press conference where Zaheer Khan was appointed as the new mentor of the team, replacing Gautam Gambhir who had left the team after the 2023 Indian Premier League.
During the interaction with reporters, Sanjiv Goenka was also asked about KL Rahul’s future with the franchise. Sanjiv Goenka remained tight-lipped about the batsman’s future with the team but termed him as a crucial part of the Super Giants family.