'Brainless from Lko’- Venkatesh Prasad tears into KL Rahul-led LSG following tame loss against GT

The 30th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a thrilling clash between the defending champions Gujarat Titans and the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 22. Attempting to chase a low target of 136 runs, Lucknow faced one of the most shocking defeats of the IPL 2023.

Despite needing 31 runs to win in the last six overs, Lucknow still managed to lose the game. Skipper KL Rahul scored 68 runs in 61 deliveries, and after he had scored 30 runs in his first 12 balls, his strike rate declined dramatically, as he only managed to score 18 off the last 23 balls he faced.

Following the stunning loss, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad took to Twitter to give his take on the game and Rahul’s captaincy. He tweeted

"Bottling a run chase when 30 needed of 35 balls with 9 wickets in hand requires some baffling batting. Happened with Punjab in 2020 on few occasions, losing games they should have won easily. As brilliant as Guj were with ball & Hardik smart with his captaincy, brainless from Lko."

Venkatesh Prasad@venkateshprasad

Bottling a run chase when 30 needed of 35 balls with 9 wickets in hand requires some baffling batting. Happened with Punjab in 2020 on few ocassions losing games they should have won easily. As brilliant as Guj were with ball & Hardik smart with his captaincy, brainless from Lko

07:13 PM · Apr 22, 2023

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Lucknow Super Giants faced their third defeat of the IPL 2023

Talking about the game, Gujarat Titans managed to post 135 runs on the board thanks to the knocks of Wriddhiman Saha and skipper Hardik Pandya. Both batters amassed 47 and 66 runs to their names, respectively, and helped the defending champions reach a respectable total.

Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya were sensational for Lucknow in the first innings, taking two wickets each to mount pressure on Gujarat. However, all came crumbling down for Lucknow during the run chase. KL Rahul was the highest run-getter for his side. However, many opined that him batting at a low strike rate cost the hosts the game.

Furthermore, after the skipper’s dismissal, none of the other batters managed to amount to much, as Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, and Deepak Hooda collectively scored 11 runs as Lucknow lost the game, handing Gujarat the win by seven runs.