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New day but the same old slow grind from KL Rahul

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Last updated on 17 May 2024 | 05:45 PM
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New day but the same old slow grind from KL Rahul

Once again, after watching Rahul and Pooran bat, it’s natural to wonder how much more LSG could have scored if Rahul had also matched his team’s scoring rate

At this point, people won’t be surprised if KL Rahul even dreams of criticism and trolling around his slow batting. 

However, that’s not how Rahul's season began. In the first seven games of the Indian Premier League 2024 edition, Rahul scored 151 runs in the powerplay at a strike rate of 154, scoring a boundary every 4.3 deliveries and making 71.5% of his runs just through them in that phase. 

However, in the last six games (excluding the game against Mumbai Indians today, May 17), he has struck at an abysmal 108 along with an average of 52, meaning that not only is he scoring slow, but he’s also not getting out. It is something that has seriously impacted the team’s eventual score. 

Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where Pat Cummins' side chased down 166 in 9.4 overs, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were 27/2 in the powerplay. Rahul had scored 19* off 24 at a strike rate of 79.1. In response, SRH were 107/0 at the end of the sixth over, and the game was practically over in the first six overs itself. 

Today, against MI at the Wankhede, a superb track for batters, Rahul was 18* off 13 deliveries after six overs. It wasn’t only Rahul who was sluggish. The entire LSG innings was going nowhere until Nicholas Pooran arrived to the crease in the 10th over. 

At the end of the 10th, Lucknow were three down for just 69 and Rahul was batting on 27* off 25 balls. Rahul’s anchoring was again slowing the ship. After hitting Piyush Chawla for two biggies in the sixth over, he just hit one four against Nehal Wadhera. 

However, that’s when Pooran showed an extremely contrasting approach that instantly bore fruit for LSG, and the camera person validated that as well by showing a smiling Sanjeev Goenka (LSG owner) on the telecast. 

Pooran batted like Pooran has done throughout this season. In the middle overs this season, he’s been striking at 172.73 and averaging 82.33. Today, he scored 66* runs in 22 balls against Mumbai at a strike rate of 300 in this phase. He was so belligerent that he scored 90.9% of the runs in boundaries. 

Once he arrived at the crease, it felt like only he was batting. Rahul, who was anyway looking to play second fiddle, just watched Pooran smash 22 runs in Anshul Kamboj’s over and then 29 in an over bowled by Arjun Tendulkar and Naman Dhir. Rahul reached his fifty in that over with a six, but he couldn’t cash in and was meekly dismissed by Chawla for 55 off 41 deliveries. 

LSG, meanwhile, reached 214 courtesy of Pooran’s onslaught and Ayush Badoni’s 22* off 10 deliveries. After scoring just 69 in the first 10 overs, LSG added 145 runs in the last 10. Once again, after watching Rahul and Pooran bat, it’s natural to wonder how much more LSG could have scored if Rahul had also matched his team’s eventual run rate.

And again, we can only wonder because Rahul didn’t change his batting methods despite the shellacking against SRH. Later, Pooran showed the way as well, as he has done throughout the season, but even the staunchest of fans will find it hard to hope for an improved intent while batting from the LSG skipper. 

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