'Probably one of the worst games I've been part of' - KL Rahul recalls SRH vs LSG clash which led to Sanjiv Goenka's outburst

KL Rahul recalled the one-of-a-kind encounter between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on May 8, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in Hyderabad. The home side made a mockery of a 166-run target as Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head smashed whirlwind half-centuries against a hapless LSG bowling unit.

SRH needed just 9.4 overs to get to their target as cricket enthusiasts had their minds blown. Abhishek finished unbeaten on 75 off 28 balls, while Head slammed 89 not out off 30 deliveries. Lucknow lost the match by 10 wickets as their net run rate (NRR) took a massive beating. The capitulation didn't sit well with the LSG owner, Sanjiv Goenka, as the 63-year-old was seen having an intense chat with the then LSG captain Rahul.

Speaking about the one-sided clash, Rahul said that it was one of the worst matches he has been a part of in his career. The Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter mentioned that anything his bowlers bowled to the two SRH southpaws disappeared.

"I mean, I don't really know how much was made outside, but I just remember it was probably one of the worst games I've been part of as a player. But also, just from behind the stumps, I was amazed at how Sunrisers battered us," Rahul said while speaking exclusively to Star Sports, on an exclusive show – ‘KL Rahul – Unplugged’

"We watched on TV how dominating or how dangerous Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were. But to see it from up close, anything that we did that day seemed to find the boundary. Any ball our bowlers bowled seemed to hit the middle of the bat and fly into the crowd. To get 160, 170 runs in nine-odd overs was ridiculous. And almost like, we had to pinch ourselves to know what really happened," he added.

Whatever happened on the field after the game wasn't the nicest thing: Rahul

Furthermore, KL Rahul touched upon the incident with Goenka as he said that it wasn't what anyone wants to see on a cricket field. He noted that the team tried to regroup after the bashing but it didn't work as LSG failed to reach the playoffs.

Also Read: 'Tried really hard to be someone I wasn’t' - KL Rahul reflects on cricket journey

"As a team, we were all in shock because we were at the stage in that tournament where every game was very important. We had to win, I think, three out of five games or two out of the last four games. When this happened, it was just a big shock for all of us," the 32-year-old continued.

"Whatever happened on the field after the game wasn't the nicest thing to be part of or something that anyone wants to see on the cricket field. So yeah, I think it did affect the entire group. We still had a chance to make it into the playoffs. We had a chat as a team and tried to regroup, put everything aside, and try to put our best foot forward. We tried our best, but unfortunately, our best wasn't good enough always. It was a bummer that we couldn't really make the playoffs or win the season as we had hoped," Rahul concluded.

For the unversed, Rahul has been released by LSG. As a result,  he will now be going under the hammer in the upcoming IPL mega-auction 2025, which is scheduled for later this month.