Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul has reportedly met franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka as his future with the IPL side remains uncertain.
Speculations are rife that the wicketkeeper-batsman would leave the franchise before the next season after falling out with Goenka.
The LSG owner had publicly berated the captain on the field after LSG’s humiliating defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With a target of 166 runs, Sunrisers Hyderabad had reached the total in just 9.4 overs.
As the loss dealt a major blow to LSG’s chances of making it to the playoffs, Goenka did not hesitate to speak his mind to KL Rahul on the field as soon as the game was over.
Shortly after the incident, reports indicated that the star batsman would leave LSG for his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
KL Rahul meets Sanjiv Goenka:
However, it seems that KL Rahul will be staying put at LSG. Cricbuzz reported that the LSG captain visited the franchise’s office in Kolkata on Monday to meet Goenka. The meeting, held at Goenka’s office at Judges Court Road, Alipore, lasted for about an hour.
The report stated that the meeting was the first formal interaction between Rahul and Goenka since the animated discussion they had after the match against SRH in May this year. The media outlet also reported that the meeting focused on the composition of the team and the possible retention of the LSG captain.
The Lucknow-based side is keen on having KL Rahul in their squad, though the player’s team is yet to take a final decision on the matter. Rahul has been playing for LSG since 2022, the year they were included in the IPL. He has been their best player with the bat since 2022.
In three seasons, Rahul has scored an impressive 1410 runs in 38 matches with the help of 2 centuries and 10 half-centuries. He is the only LSG batsman to have reached 1000 runs in the IPL so far. Meanwhile, LSG will be looking to bounce back next year after a disappointing campaign in the IPL 2024. After qualifying for the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, they failed to make the cut in 2024.
