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KL Rahul has been an Indian Premier League (IPL) captain for quite some time now, having led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) over the last few seasons.
Rahul's exploits as a leader have even catapulted him into the national reckoning, with the batter taking over the reins at times when regular skipper Rohit Sharma has been indisposed. However, he hasn't gained a reputation for being an astute skipper.
Rahul's approach to the game, decision-making, and general performances have come under immense criticism of late. In press conferences and post-match interactions, he has come up with several questionable comments, including the now infamous "strike rate is overrated" claim.
Here are three bizarre statements made by LSG skipper KL Rahul since the start of IPL 2023.
#3 "We just needed them to go over the rope" - KL Rahul after LSG's first defeat of IPL 2023
LSG suffered their first defeat in IPL 2023 at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk.
After Kyle Mayers got the Super Giants off to an excellent start in their chase of 218 by hammering 53 off 22 balls, they lost their way in the middle overs against spin. They eventually fell 12 runs short of the target.
LSG made a plethora of strange tactical decisions in that game. Krunal Pandya was sent in at No. 4, while Marcus Stoinis earned a promotion ahead of Nicholas Pooran.
Rahul, however, refused to accept that his decision to bowl first was a deciding factor, with the pitch proving to be slightly tricky to bat on in the middle overs of the chase. He also pointed fingers at a few batters just failing to clear the boundary, something that happens in almost every T20 game.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Rahul said:
"Not really, I wouldn't change the decision I made at the toss. We didn't win a few phases in the game and that's why we ended up on the losing side. It's not often that we'll find ourselves in a situation where four or five of our batters are caught on the boundary line. We just needed them to go over the rope, and we'll end up on the winning side. The margins didn't go our way today."
#2 "A few batters got caught just at the boundary line" - KL Rahul after defeat to PBKS
Rahul did say that batters getting caught on the boundary line won't happen often. That statement is quite obviously false, and it was proven when LSG took on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) when it happened again.
Rahul turned in a dubious captaincy and batting display against his former franchise. He played 56 balls for his 74, failing to accelerate after a sluggish start. The skipper also introduced Ravi Bishnoi as the sixth bowler. Despite the leg-spinner being Lucknow's biggest threat on the surface, he bowled just 2.3 overs.
Rahul diverted the attention from his tactics, which probably cost LSG the game. He instead chose to cite batters getting caught on the boundary once again as the primary reason behind the defeat, saying:
"A few of the batters hit some good shots but got caught just at the boundary line. On another day, a couple of them go just over the ropes and we would've got those extra 12-15 runs, which would've made a big difference. That's part of the game, we learn from it."
Needless to say, something that happens in pretty much every single game of T20 cricket cannot be repeatedly pinpointed as a significant event. If batters get caught on the boundary, it is due to poor execution and not bad luck.
#1 "I don't know where it went wrong" - KL Rahul after defeat to GT
This has certainly been the most egregious statement from KL Rahul so far in IPL 2023.
LSG hosted the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Ekana Stadium and were in control for most of the game. They restricted the defending champions to just 135, and at the end of the 14th over of the chase, needed only 31 runs off 36 balls with nine wickets in hand.
Rahul, moreover, was batting on 57 off 44 at the time. In explicable fashion, he refused to up the tempo of his innings as wickets tumbled around him. Even the strike rotation proved to be difficult as he slowed down immensely before being caught in the deep for 68 off 61.
In those 17 balls, Rahul made only 11 runs. The 31-year-old was dismissed in the final over, with LSG needing 10 runs off four balls after his wicket. Three more wickets fell off the next three balls as Mohit Sharma held his nerve to catch the home side seven runs short.
Instead of assuming responsibility for the defeat, Rahul stated that he didn't know what had transpired in Lucknow. He seemed to be at a loss for words and only accepted that the batting effort could've been faster when grilled about it, saying:
"Absolutely not (can't believe it). I don't know how this has happened; it happened so fast. Cricket keeps reminding us that the game's not won until the last ball. I still can't put a finger on it and say where it went wrong, but it is what it is. We had the game in our pockets but we let it slip and lost two points."
