Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul was a desolate figure at the end of the 30^th match of the ongoing IPL 2023 where they lost to Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 22, Saturday.

Pandya won the toss and chose to bat first for a change and the captain led from the front on a sluggish pitch, scoring 66 runs in 50 balls with four sixes and two fours, and Wriddhiman Saha added 47 runs as GT recorded 135/6. Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya each took two wickets for LSG.

In reply, while Kyle Mayers made 24 and Krunal Pandya contributed 23 runs, in the end, KL Rahul’s slow and painstaking knock of 68 in 61 balls with 8 fours, proved to be fatal for the LSG team, as they couldn’t score the 12 runs needed in the last over.

They managed only 128/7 in 20 overs and lost the match by 7 runs. For GT, Mohit Sharma and Noor Ahmad were the picks of the bowlers with both getting two wickets each.

LSG, at one stage, needed 30 runs in 34 balls with Rahul at the crease and while talking to the commentators in the post-match chat, Rahul had no explanation about the defeat. 

IPL 2023: Cricket fraternity reacts as KL Rahul's slow 68 results in LSG bottling straightforward chase to lose by 7 runs

“I don't know how it happened, but it has happened. I can't put a finger on where it went wrong, but we lost 2 points today, this is cricket. I thought we were brilliant with the ball, 135 was 10 runs under par, the bowling was exceptional, and we started well with the bat, but these things happen, we'll have to take it on the chin. But still, a long way to go, 8 points off 7 games, we were on the wrong side of the result today,” KL Rahul said in the post-match chat with IPL commentators.

He also talked about his knock in which he had reached 50 in 38 balls, but in the next 23 balls, he only managed 18 runs adding to the pressure on his team in the chase.

“We were well ahead in the game and I wasn't trying to bat deep, I still wanted to play my shots, and take on the bowlers, but they bowled well in that 2-3 over period, by Noor and Jayant, we perhaps should have taken a few more chances with wickets in hand, they bowled decently, but I think we missed out on some boundary opportunities, the pressure got to us in the last 3-4 overs, we played well until then. They did bowl well though,” he added.

LSG will look to get back the winning ways when they next face Punjab Kings in Mohali on April 28.