‘Doesn't mean you should slow down’ - Sanjay Manjrekar bashes KL Rahul for his poor outing against CSK

Chasing a mammoth total of 218 runs against Chennai Super Kings in the sixth match of the Indian Premier League 2023, Lucknow Super Giants needed a strong start to place their contention. West Indies international Kyle Mayers stepped up in the situation as the 30-year-old wreaked havoc, smashing 53 runs off 22 deliveries to give the visiting side a perfect start in the powerplay. However, when it came to his opening partner KL Rahul, the skipper once again struggled to impress as Lucknow in the end suffered a 12-run defeat.

Speaking about Rahul’s performance, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar bashed the opener for his slow strike rate in the match. He expected the cricketer to start in an aggressive manner but to his surprise, Rahul played the role of an anchor while Mayers went after the CSK bowlers. Following such course of actions, Manjrekar bashed Rahul for his approach and pointed out that just because Mayers was tormenting the CSK bowlers, it didn’t mean Rahul should have slowed down.

“When Kyle Mayers batted with a strike rate of 240, KL Rahul went into a shell. Once Mayers got out, Rahul realized he had to go for the big shots and was dismissed at a strike rate of just 111. It's very difficult to suddenly be explosive when you're already playing in one gear. You need to play every ball on its merit and just because the opening partner is going hard, doesn't mean you should slow down,” Manjrekar said while talking to ESPNcricinfo.

Middle-order worries result in LSG's first loss of IPL 2023

Meanwhile, after the opening pair was sent back to the pavilion, the middle order had the pressure to deal with the situation and they were in a comfortable position for the majority of the time. Marcus Stonis and Nicholas Pooran looked brilliant in the middle but soon after they got out, LSG succumbed under pressure. Youngster Ayush Badoni failed to time the ball multiple times as the Super Giants in the end registered their first loss of the season.

The trio of Stoinis, Pooran and Badoni played 18 balls each and scored 21, 32 and 23 respectively. While Stoinis hit a solitary maximum, Pooran's innings comprised three sixes and two fours. Badoni, who was brought in as Lucknow's impact player, relied mostly only singles and doubles as he failed to strike a single boundary. 

Next up, the team will host Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 7 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

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