India’s wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul finally broke his silence over the animated chat incident with LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka during IPL 2024. Sanjeev Goenka was caught on camera, having an animated discussion with the-then team captain Rahul after LSG was mauled by the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Rahul admitted that the animated chat was not the nicest thing to be part of and that it affected the entire group. The incident had sparked speculations that Rahul might not be retained by LSG ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction and that is exactly what happened when the retentions were announced.
“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,” Rahul recalled speaking on Star Sports. The incident happened after LSG’s 10-wicket loss over SRH who chased down the target of 166 within 9.4 overs.
“I wanted to go where I could find freedom”
KL Rahul also opened up about his exit from the LSG franchise and said that he wanted a fresh start and wanted a fresh start.
“I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom, where the team atmosphere could be something lighter. Sometimes you need to move away and find something good for yourself,” KL Rahul said.
Goenka’s cryptic remark over Rahul
Sanjeev Goenka made a cryptic remark after not retaining KL Rahul for the Indian Premier League 2025. He also said that the team wanted to keep the players who put the team first ahead of their personal goals and milestones.
“It was a process that Zaheer Khan, Justin Langer and the analyst and the CEO engaged in for a while and we all had a joint discussion. And that discussion wasn’t too long, I mean we had a simple mindset to go in with the players who have a mindset to win, who put the team before their personal goals and personal aspirations. We wanted to retain as much of our core as we could within the available purse,” Goenka told the broadcaster.
Lucknow retained a total of five players namely Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 Crore), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 Crore), Mayank Yadav (INR 11 Crore), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 Crore) and Ayush Badoni (INR 4 Crore).
