Sanjay Manjrekar, former Indian cricketer, has criticized KL Rahul’s recent performance during the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) match in IPL 2023. Manjrekar believes that Rahul lacked urgency during the powerplay overs, resulting in too many dot balls and putting pressure on the rest of the batting order.
While Kyle Mayers played an exceptional innings for LSG, Rahul struggled to establish his timing during his 20-ball innings and eventually went out while attempting to boost the run rate. Manjrekar pointed out that when Mayers batted with a strike rate of 240, Rahul went into a shell, which was evident from his dismissal when he hit it straight to deep mid-wicket. Rahul realized he had to go for big shots after Mayers’ departure, but it was too late as he was dismissed at a strike rate of just 111.
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Moeen Ali, the England all-rounder, played a crucial role in LSG’s loss to CSK, grabbing four wickets and conceding just 26 runs in four overs. He also bowled out LSG’s openers in the first 16 overs and went on to take match-changing wickets of Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis. Moeen was awarded the Match Player for his brilliant performance.
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KL Rahul will have to regroup and come back stronger when Lucknow Super Giants face 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 10th IPL 2023 match. SRH will be looking to bounce back after their defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and will be a tough challenge for LSG.
Rahul needs to learn from his mistakes and exhibit more urgency during the powerplay overs. He cannot afford to slow down just because his opening partner is going hard. It’s essential to play every ball on its merit and adjust according to the situation. With the IPL 2023 season just getting started, there is still time for Rahul to make amends and lead his team to victory.