Aoba Tanaka 
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) assistant coach Lance Klusener has addressed the recent speculations surrounding an alleged captaincy change involving KL Rahul. In light of a critical must-win game against Delhi Capitals, Klusener emphasized that there are no discussions about replacing Rahul as captain, calling the incident with owner Sanjeev Goenka a “storm in a teacup.”
Despite a disappointing performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where LSG managed only 165 runs and faced a crushing 10-wicket defeat, Klusener maintained that the incident captured on TV between Rahul and Goenka was overblown. He downplayed the animated discussion, attributing it to the passion both share for cricket.
“I don’t see any problem with some robust discussion between two cricket lovers. I don’t see any problem with that. For us, I guess, it’s just a storm in a teacup,” Klusener stated.
KL Rahul, who has been a prolific scorer in recent IPL seasons, leading LSG with 460 runs at an average of 38.33 in IPL 2024, has faced criticism for his strike rate. However, Klusener defended his captain, pointing out that Rahul often had to stabilize the innings due to an underperforming batting order.
“KL’s got his own unique style, which has made him a fantastic player not just here in India but around the world. This IPL has been exceptionally tough for him because we’ve kept losing wickets at poor stages,” Klusener explained. He added that Rahul has frequently had to rebuild innings rather than scoring freely, a testament to the challenges faced by the team’s batting unit.
Upcoming Matches:
With only 12 points from 12 games, LSG’s path to the playoffs is steep. They must win both their remaining matches against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians by significant margins to improve their net run rate (NRR), currently at -0.769. Additionally, they need favorable outcomes in other matches to secure a top-four spot.
Klusener emphasized focusing on the controllables ahead of their do-or-die clash in Delhi. “We’ve got two games to go. It doesn’t really matter what’s happened in the past. We’re focusing on the next two games. Our focus really is just to get over the line tomorrow and then we’ll worry about Mumbai after that,” he said.
