Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody has come out in support of KL Rahul, captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), stating that the team let him down in their recent loss to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Moody feels that the captain is not to be blamed for the defeat and that the team needs to take responsibility.
LSG had a great start to the game, restricting GT to a total of just 135 runs. With the bat, they had an excellent opening partnership, which seemed like it would help them win the game before the 20 overs. Even after losing wickets, they were still favourites to win the game, with only 30 runs required in 35 balls. However, GT bowled brilliantly and held their nerve, eventually winning the game by seven runs.
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Moody feels that the difference between the two teams was the way LSG structured their strategy around the batting order. He told ESPNCricinfo, “I don’t think any blame is on KL Rahul. I think the team has let him down. He and Kyle Mayers, at the top of the order, set the ideal platform to chase the target down. Whether Krunal Pandya should have come at No. 3 or not, still his contribution was adequate after that start. The rest of the team, and the way it was structured, as in the strategy around the batting order, was the difference.”
KL Rahul also spoke about the loss, saying that they have to take it on the chin and that he cannot pinpoint where it went wrong. He said, “I don’t know how it happened, but it has happened. I can’t put a finger on where it went wrong, but we lost two points today; this is cricket. I thought we were brilliant with the ball, 135 was ten runs under par, the bowling was exceptional, and we started well with the bat, but these things happen, we’ll have to take it on the chin.” LSG will be playing against the Punjab Kings in their next game on Friday, the 28th of April. The team will be looking to put up a better performance and get back to winning ways.