'KL Rahul was a massive miss' - Tom Moody reflects on LSG's IPL 2023 exit

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody has said that Lucknow Super Giants missed the level of consistency that captain KL Rahul offered in the batting unit. LSG's IPL 2023 journey year came to an end with a crushing 81-run loss against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on May 24 in Chennai.

LSG skipper Rahul's season was cut short owing to a thigh injury he suffered while fielding against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium on May 1. Rahul scored 274 runs at an average of 34.25 and strike rate of 113.22 in nine matches this season.

The LSG skipper has also been ruled for the World Test Championship final, which commences on June 7 at the Oval in London. However, despite his absence, Krunal Pandya, the vice captain of LSG, took the responsibility of leading the team and they finished third in IPL 2023 points table.

KL Rahul in that batting lineup is a different story: Tom Moody

"I think KL Rahul was a massive miss for LSG. This is the second time they have reached the playoffs so that in itself is a great achievement for a new team. I think even though at the point that KL Rahul injured himself, you can just about guarantee that he would have scored three if not more half-centuries in the rest of the games and that was missing," Moodly told ESPNcricinfo.

"KL Rahul in that batting lineup is a different story, it is a completely different look. I felt that he was a big loss, just around the stability that he provides as a top-order player. Yes, there are times that he is criticized for not striking at the rate that we all feel that he should, but there are other times that he does. It's the volume of runs that was missing," he added.

The Lucknow Super Giants have been remarkably consistent since they started last year. The finished third on the points table under the captaincy of Rahul in 2022. However, they were defeated by RCB in the Eliminator.