LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka recalls lost IPL final with RPS
What's the story
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are gearing up for a new Indian Premier League (IPL) season, with significant changes anticipated in the team. KL Rahul's future is unknown as the franchise also roped in Zaheer Khan as a mentor. Meanwhile, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, who spoke about Rahul and introuduced Zaheer as the team's mentor, is in the news for digging up some bitter past experiences during his time with Rising Pune Supergiant. Here's more.
Past
Goenka digs up past of Rising Pune Supergiant
Goenka expressed his dissatisfaction with poor performance and repetition of mistakes. He emphasized the need for effective decision-making in the team. Goenka reflected on his time with Rising Pune Supergiant, mentioning MS Dhoni and Steve Smith, to subtly criticize captain Rahul and the team management for LSG's poor decision-making in IPL 2024. After two playoff appearances, LSG dropped to seventh last season, leading to speculation about Rahul's departure.
Past lessons
Goenka reflects on past IPL experiences
Reflecting on his past IPL experiences, Goenka highlighted the importance of experience in winning titles. He recalled the Rising Pune Supergiant's journey to the finals and how a lack of experience cost them the title. "When we reached the finals with Pune, it was a new and inexperienced team. You leave out Steve Smith and MS Dhoni, we didn't have much experience in the team," he said.
Winning spirit
Goenka emphasizes on winning mentality
Goenka's RPSG group formerly owned Rising Pune Supergiant during the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons. Despite reaching the finals in 2017, they failed to secure a win against Mumbai Indians. "Mumbai have a habit of winning. Everyone should emulate their never-say-die attitude," he said, emphasizing the need for this attitude in Lucknow Super Giants as well. However, despite multiple meetings between Goenka and Rahul, no decision has been made, concerning Rahul's departure from the team.
Team stats
Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL
The Super Giants made their debut during the 2022 IPL season and were also the finalists in their debut season. In the 2023 season, the team finished third in the points table with eight wins from 14 matches. They were lost to Mumbai Indians by 81 runs in the playoffs. Additionally, in the 2024 edition, the team couldn't even make it to the playoffs and finished seventh in the table with seven wins out of 14 matches.