KL Rahul walks away from interaction with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka after DC’s win (WATCH)

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Sanjiv Goenka and KL Rahul

Image Credit: Getty

Delhi Capitals (DC) batter KL Rahul appeared to have walked away from an interaction with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka after DC’s win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, April 22.

Delhi Capitals registered their sixth win of the season with a 8-wicket over Lucknow Super Giants. With a target of 160, the visitors chased it down in 17.5 overs. KL Rahul led the run-chase with an unbeaten 57 off 42 balls, while Abhishek Porel played an innings of 51 off 36 balls. Skipper Axar Patel too chipped in with an unbeaten innings of 34 off 20 balls. Rahul formed two crucial partnerships, 69 runs for the second wicket with Porel and an unbroken 56-run stand for the third wicket with Axar.

However, the major talking point from the match was the reunion between DC batter KL Rahul and LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka. Rahul was the captain of Lucknow Super Giants from 2022 to 2024 before he was released from the setup ahead of the IPL 2025 Auction. According to Sanjiv Goenka, the decision to let go of Rahul was based on the franchise's emphasis on selecting players who prioritize the team over personal milestones and aspirations.

KL Rahul ignores Sajiv Goenka’s interaction

After the Lucknow Super Giants defeat, owner Sajiv Goenka made his way to the ground to shake hands with Delhi Capitals’ players and congratulate them for their victory. He walked up to his team’s former captain KL Rahul to commend for his knock. However, Rahul appeared to offer only a brief handshake before Goenka tried to pull him back for a conversation. However the DC batter did not stay and walked away from the interaction with the LSG owner.

The meeting between the two gained the spotlight more than the match itself and KL Rahul’s revenge against the Lucknow Super Giants, who released him from the setup despite leading the side to playoffs in two successive seasons in 2022 and 2023. The video of a short meeting KL Rahul and Sanjiv Goenka went viral on social media.

Before the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, the spotlight was already on Sajiv Goenka and KL Rahul after they made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the previous IPL season.

The relationship between the two seemed to have strained after Goenka publicly lambasted KL Rahul for the LSG’s 10-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad. There have been moments where the LSG owner allegedly had a serious conversation with KL Rahul last year as the team struggled under his leadership, finishing seventh 7th in the league stage of the IPL 2024 and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

LSG skipper Rishabh Pant blames toss for the defeat

Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant believes that toss played a role in their defeat against Delhi Capitals, stating that the team bowling first would get a lot of help from the pitch condition.

“We knew we were 20 runs short. In Lucknow, toss played a big part. Whoever is bowling first, they get a lot of help from the wicket. We just had to stay back, we just couldn't get it away.” Pant said after the match.

“It always happens in Lucknow, in the second innings, the wicket gets better and batter to bat on, that's how the game goes and you can't be complaining. Yes, toss is playing a huge part here, but as a team, we are not looking for excuses.” he added.

Lucknow Super Giants slipped to fifth spot after their 4th defeat of the season in nine matches. While Delhi Capitals moved to second spot with their sixth win of the season.