 "LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka chatting with his then captain KL Rahul. Image: BCCI")
Indian cricketer KL Rahul has once again sparked discussion on social media after fans felt he took an indirect dig at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka during a recent interview. Their relationship has been tense ever since the IPL 2024 season, when Goenka publicly criticised Rahul after a big loss, and the video of their heated conversation went viral.
Rahul, who has played for five IPL teams and captained two of them, led LSG from 2022 to 2024. Even though he was their top batter, he never really found success as a captain. The pressure only increased on Rahul after the 10-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024, where LSG scored 165/4, but SRH chased it down in just 9.4 overs without losing a wicket. After that match, Goenka was seen having an intense chat with Rahul.
Things became clearer when LSG decided not to retain Rahul for the IPL 2025 mega auction. In his latest interview with Humans of Bombay, Rahul spoke about the pressure he faced in the IPL as captain and how it affected him more than international cricket. “At the end of IPL, I am more mentally and physically drained than after playing 10 months of international cricket,” he said.
“There are so many things. Coaches, captains, you’re just constantly being asked a lot of questions, and after a point, it almost feels like you’re being questioned as to why did you made this change. Why did Jatin play in the XI? Why is it that the opposition got 200 and we couldn’t even get 120? Why are their bowlers getting more spin?" Rahul said.
“I mean, these are questions that we never get asked through the year, right? Because the coaches who are there know what’s going on. You’re only answerable to the coach and the selectors who’ve all played cricket and understand the nuances of cricket and sport. No matter what you do and how many boxes you tick, there’s nothing in sport that guarantees victory. So that’s the hard part to explain to people who come from a non-sporting background," he added.
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View AllFans react to Rahul’s remarks
His remarks quickly made people think he was pointing towards his former IPL owners. While Rahul never mentioned Goenka by name, fans online are convinced that the comments were a subtle jibe at the LSG boss. Here’s how some of them reacted on social media.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul has been retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026 auction, which is scheduled to take place on December 16. Earlier, it was reported that Rahul might be traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders , who are in search of a captain. But the recent retention announcement squashed the rumours.