Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer has addressed the recent controversy in the ongoing IPL 2024 involving team owner Sajiv Goenka and skipper KL Rahul.?This?follows their defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad last week. Goenka was seen in an intense discussion with Rahul after SRH thrashed LSG by?10?wickets, chasing down 166 runs within?10?overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, May 8.?
The video clip of their exchange went viral, with fans and commentators criticizing?Goenka's?behavior. Some reports even suggested that Rahul might not play for the franchise again and could leave the team before the?next?season.?
Additionally, there were reports that Rahul had not?traveled?with the squad to Delhi to face Delhi Capitals on Tuesday, May 14, following the altercation with the team owner.??
However, Langer, who witnessed the exchange, clarified that the discussion?"might have looked aggressive, but it was quite tame."
"It's?a massive storm in a teacup, in fact, in an espresso cup.?The thing that fascinates me about India is this incredible passion?about?cricket. Mr. Goenka is no different.?I'm?no different. KL is no different,"?Langer said in an interview with Times of India.
"Our plan for the game (vs SRH)?didn't?go perfectly.?In fact,?it was a disaster. After the game,?Mr.?Goenka came onto the field and asked KL,?'What happened??Our plan?that we talked about?hasn't?worked.?What do we do now?'?And then we talked through it."
Langer emphasized that the lack of sound might have led people to misinterpret the discussion as aggressive, but it was?actually?quite?calm. He added that the owners have?given them the freedom?to manage the team.
"The sound was off, no?one heard what was said. It might have looked quite aggressive, but it was?really?quite tame,"?Langer added regarding the post-match discussion between Rahul and Goenka.
"When I first came to IPL,?a lot of?people told me the biggest challenge was how you deal with owners who want to be involved. The?truth is the?owners have just let KL and me go about our business.?It's?been such a relaxed experience at LSG,"?Langer said.?"I'm?surprised at the aftermath of that night. The truth got blown away."
¡°My point is that Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul are incredibly wealthy, but they are superstars because of?the way?they perform.?Dhoni won?a?World Cup and was one of the greatest finishers?of?the game.?People will never forget those performances,¡±?said Langer when asked about?ego?being a problem with players to TOI.
Meanwhile,?Sanjiv Goenka hosted team captain KL Rahul for dinner on Monday at his residence in Delhi, where the two shared a warm hug.
Earlier, it was reported that the heated exchange had impacted?the internal dynamics of LSG.?Players?were advised?to refrain from posting anything on social media, and the franchise has posted only once since the incident on May 8. Notably, Goenka restricted his Instagram comments section following the backlash.
Despite their last match loss, LSG remains in the playoff race. They need to win their remaining two matches by a significant margin and hope for?favorable?outcomes in other matches. LSG will play against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday, May 14, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, and their final league stage match will be against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, May 17.
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