Lucknow Super Giants, who had recently surprised Sunrisers Hyderabad, were defeated at home by Punjab Kings. Punjab played dominating cricket in all departments. Post-match, however, there was a dialogue between Lucknow owner Sanjeev Goenka and skipper Rishabh Pant that became viral on social media, and people compared it to the previous KL Rahul-Goenka moment.
Goenka's Dialogue with Pant Raises Questions
Videos emerged online where Goenka was seen talking to Pant in the dressing room. Most fans and experts feel that franchise owners should not meddle with the captain's job, as coaches are appointed for that purpose. Analogies are being made with Goenka's earlier interactions with KL Rahul, which had generated similar controversies. Critics feel that giving captains more autonomy results in improved outcomes and that no other franchise owners do this.
Pant's Verdict: 'We Were 25 Runs Short'
Pant accepted Lucknow lacked a competitive total to take on Punjab.
"The score we left for ourselves was not sufficient. We needed to have at least scored 25 extra runs. That is a part of the game. It becomes important to estimate pitch conditions well, particularly while playing at home. It is difficult to come up with a big score with wickets falling early. Every player in the team is doing their best.". On slow pitches, well-played slow deliveries can give more returns. We will learn from this game and go forward. There are positives, but I cannot say much more," he said.
The incident has brought back discussions on owner intervention in team strategy and whether such interactions impact player morale.
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