Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed disappointment over KL Rahul‘s captaincy following LSG’s loss to DC in IPL 2024. Mohammad Kaif stated that KL Rahul‘s performance as captain left much to be desired. Mohammad Kaif, a right-handed middle-order batsman carved a niche for himself in Indian cricket. Kaif’s cricketing journey started on a high note. He captained the Indian Under-19 team to a spectacular victory at the 2000 World Cup, displaying his potential as a leader and a skilled player. This achievement paved the way for his selection to the national team.
Between 2000 and 2006, Mohammad Kaif donned the Indian jersey in both Tests and ODIs. Cricket fans fondly remember his match-winning knock of 87 runs at Lord’s in 2002, alongside Rahul Dravid. This knock played a pivotal role in India’s historic win at the iconic ground. Even after 2006, when his appearances in the national team became less frequent, Kaif’s dedication to the game remained strong. He participated in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, representing the Rajasthan Royals. He later went on to play for other IPL franchises. His love for the sport extended beyond the glitz of the IPL. He continued to play domestic cricket for Chhatisgarh until 2017, a remarkable feat considering it was 17 years after his international debut.
KL Rahul’s captaincy of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024 has been a rollercoaster ride. As a new franchise, LSG entered the league with a lot of promise under Rahul’s leadership. He’s a highly skilled batsman known for his strategic thinking on the field. Initially, things looked good.
LSG were well-positioned for a playoff berth for a major part of the season. However, a string of losses, especially the crushing defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, threw a wrench in the works. Media reports hinted at the tension between Rahul and the team owner, Sanjiv Goenka. They were even caught on camera having a heated conversation after the Hyderabad match. This sparked speculation that Rahul might relinquish the captaincy for the remaining games to focus solely on his batting.
Mohammad Kaif On KL Rahul
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif didn’t hold back on his thoughts about Lucknow Super Giants’ captain KL Rahul’s leadership during their recent IPL match against Delhi Capitals. The Super Giants lost by 19 runs and are now almost out of the running for the playoffs. DC chose to bat first and set LSG a target of 209 runs. Despite LSG’s efforts, they could only manage 189/9 in their innings.
Kaif, while analysing the match on Star Sports, heavily criticised Rahul’s captaincy, focusing on his choice to field first.
He said,
“Take the video analyst’s computer and put it away. They didn’t go with any numbers. 200 has not been chased here at all. I am telling you this year’s numbers. In all four matches, the team batting first has won. You won the toss and said you would field first,”
“If you leave aside Arshad Khan’s knock, it was a very bad defeat. Arshad saved your pride a little. I believe it was a horrible decision not to bat first here. KL Rahul disappointed a lot as a captain. You said you would play positive but you need to make positive decisions as well,” he added.
Mohammad Kaif On LSG’s Bowling
Mohammad Kaif raised concerns about the Lucknow Super Giants’ bowling performance. Despite dismissing Jake Fraser-McGurk for a duck, they allowed the Delhi Capitals to accumulate a large total.
He added,
“You checked the pitch and felt that it had moisture. There was no moisture – 200 is scored here. The biggest mistake was the decision at the toss. After that, you allowed them to score 200 even after dismissing Jake Fraser-McGurk. So there will be a question mark on the bowling as well,”
The former cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that LSG missed out on a significant opportunity to strengthen their position in the playoff race.
Kaif elaborated,
“Delhi will not gain anything from this. They got two points but their net run rate has not improved much. Lucknow had everything to gain from this match. They had to lose or gain. If they had won, they could have reached 16 points. I believe it was an absolute flop show from Lucknow,”
LSG currently sit in seventh place on the points table with 12 points from 13 games and a net run rate of -0.787. Even if they secure a huge victory in their last league match against the Mumbai Indians (MI), they’ll still require several highly unlikely outcomes to have any chance of making it to the playoffs.