IPL 2024: After outburst, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka hosts KL Rahul for dinner, pic of duo hugging goes viral

A few days following Sanjiv Goenka's public outburst directed at KL Rahul, reports indicate that the LSG owner extended an invitation to the captain for dinner. A photograph capturing the two embracing has since circulated widely across social media platforms.

Sunita Iyer

First Published May 14, 2024, 3:12 PM IST | Last Updated May 14, 2024, 3:21 PM IST

Sanjiv Goenka, owner of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), invited captain KL Rahul for dinner on Monday night, as per insider reports. A widely circulated picture from the gathering shows Goenka warmly embracing Rahul, dispelling any speculation about discord between the two. Previously, video clips capturing an intense discussion between them had circulated after LSG's 10-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 last week.

On Monday, Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Lance Klusener downplayed Sanjiv Goenka's recent public outburst with KL Rahul, referring to it as a "storm in a teacup." Klusener expressed that he perceived the incident as nothing more than a "robust discussion between two cricket enthusiasts" and didn't see any significant issue arising from it.

Social media has been buzzing with speculation after footage emerged of Goenka engaged in an animated discussion, seemingly reprimanding Rahul following LSG's significant defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad last Wednesday.

There have been murmurs regarding Rahul's future as skipper of LSG, but Klusener stated that there have been "certainly no discussions around" the matter.

"I don't see any problem with some robust discussion between two cricket lovers. So for us, I guess it's just a storm in a teacup. We love a robust discussion. I think that's how teams get better. So, it's not a big thing for us," the South African said ahead of LSG's clash against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.

Despite opening the batting and scoring 460 runs, Rahul's strike-rate stands at 136.09, which has reportedly placed pressure on the middle-order batsmen like Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran within the LSG lineup.

Nevertheless, Klusener has voiced his support for the senior batter, indicating confidence in Rahul's abilities despite the pressure on the middle-order.

"KL has got his own unique style which has made him a fantastic player and respected around the world. I think this IPL has been exceptionally tough for him because we've kept losing wickets at stages which hasn't allowed him to kick on where he likes. He probably feels like he's always having to rebuild. I think as a batting unit around KL, we haven't been as good as we should. It's just been extremely tough conditions for him. That's something we've chatted about as well -- we've just kept losing wickets at tough times," the South African said.

"Then batters coming in, seem to have to be rebuilding the whole time and not just coming into a platform. So, I think by KL's standards, he probably would have liked to have kicked on in a few more games. Probably (he) would have liked to have at least one or two hundreds that haven't worked out for him. But there's still a couple of games left. He's in a good space. So, we've got our fingers crossed again for him," Klusener added.

LSG are currently at the seventh spot with 12 points, making the remaining two games a must-win contest to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

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