Former South African cricketer and Lucknow Super Giant’s (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes speaks highly of KL Rahul as a skipper of a brand new franchise. Lucknow Super Giants(LSG) was added to the Indian Premier League(Ipl) in 2022 alongside Gujarat Titans(GT).
In 2022, two new franchises were locked in the Indian Premier League, making Ipl a ten-team competing league. Lucknow Super Giants(LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) were the two teams. KL Rahul was and still is the running captain of the Lucknow Super Giants(LSG), whereas Hardik Pandya captained the Gujarat Titans(GT) for two years(2022 and 2023). The Indian all-rounder later joined MI in the last season as the skipper, replacing the long-run captain Rohit Sharma.
Jonty Rhodes Says Reaching Finals and Winning Is The Ultimate Goal For LSG
Jonty Rhodes praised the LSG skipper KL Rahul and commended his captaincy skills for the franchise. Under KL Rahul’s captaincy, the Lucknow Super Giants(LSG) reached the playoffs twice in 2022 and 2023. In an interview with India Today, Jonty Rhodes said that,
“I think if you look at a record as a captain of a brand-new franchise, getting into the playoffs every time like he has, it’s been something that goes a long way towards his captaincy, to the way that he leads the team and the sort of set up and the approach that he has,”
Jonty Rhodes also noted Rohit Sharma’s and MS Dhoni’s consistency over a period now in the Ipl. Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Mumbai Indians(MI) has won five trophies, whereas the Chennai Super Kings has clinched five trophies as well under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. Fielding coach Jonty Rhodes stated that reaching Ipl’s final and claiming the trophy could be the ultimate goal for LSG. he said,
“So you know, to look at Rohit’s record as a captain, Dhoni’s record as a captain, the trophies that those guys have won and the consistency that they’ve done to winning trophies, from LSG’s point of view, it might just be one thing getting into the final, winning the trophy,”
Lastly, Jonty Rhodes commended Mumbai Indians (MI) and said that it’s remarkable how the franchise struggled initially but continued to win once they won their first trophy. Therefore, according to the LSG’s fielding coach, KL Rahul has done an exceptional job in captaining the new franchise. In addition, Jonty Rhodes noted that shaping culture and navigating through diverse players from India and around the world is truly a testament to the captain’s prowess and the team’s resilience. He said,
“It then turns out MI didn’t win a trophy for quite a few years at the start. Once they learned how to win trophies, they kept going and kept going. So I think from that point of view, I think he’s done an excellent job at the helm, with a brand new franchise, setting up a new culture, with new owners and, and that I think is an indication of how well he’s captained the team in a set-up where there are players from all over the country in India who are very different and all over the world,”
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