‘It was not a huge deal, people and media hyped it’ – Amit Mishra provides insights into Sanjeev Goenka-KL Rahul episode from IPL 2024

KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema)

KL Rahul has been out of the Indian setup after the World Cup 2023. But the wicket-keeper batter led the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2024 and the team failed to book a place in the playoffs. Moreover, the team succumbed to a 10-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, as they chased LSG’s 166-run target in just 9.4 overs with 10 wickets remaining. After the game, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen in an animated chat with skipper Rahul on the field.

The talk quickly went viral on social media and the franchise owner received much flak before hosting Rahul for dinner at his residence. Former India spinner, Amit Mishra, who is also part of LSG camp, backed Goenka’s move and added the expression stemmed from disappointment. The veteran also added the media made a big deal out of petty things.

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“He (Goenka) was disappointed. We lost two back-to-back matches very badly. Against KKR, we lost by some 90-100 runs and against SRH, the match was finished within 10 overs. It felt like we were bowling them during a net practice session. If I am so angry about it, will someone who has actually put money into the team not feel angry?,” said Mishra on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.

“It was not a huge deal. But I later came to know that he said that the bowling was very bad and the team should have shown some fight. It looked like you have completely surrendered. But I feel people and media hyped it up a bit,” he added.

I am sure LSG will look for a better captain: Amit Mishra

The 32-year-old was dropped from India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad and is reportedly set to lead the team during the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka. Talking about his captaincy stint with LSG, he led the team to knockouts in 2022 and 2023, and the 2024 season proved to be disastrous. Mishra showed confidence in the franchise and that they will be keeping an eye on recruiting a better captain.

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“It does not matter if he is in the Indian team or not. But a person who has the right mentality for T20s should be the captain. Someone who plays for the team should be captain. I am sure LSG will look for a better captain,” he concluded.