LSG Captain KL Rahul joins Sanjiv Goenka for dinner amid IPL 2024 controversy

Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul and owner Sanjiv Goenka have been making headlines since their animated on-field chat after the team lost their recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their conversation has triggered speculation that the batter might quit captaincy.

Franchise co-owner Sanjiv Goenka recently invited KL Rahul for dinner at his place amid controversies, a report stated.

In a pre-match press conference, LSG assistant coach Lance Klusener called the on-field chat between KL Rahul and Sanjiv Goenka as a "robust discussion" between "two cricket lovers". He said:  "I see no problem in a robust discussion between two cricket lovers. For us, it is a storm in a teacup. It's not a big thing for us."

So far, the wicketkeeper batter has mustered 460 runs to his name in 12 matches at an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 136.09. Despite the form, Klusener said that as per his judgment, Rahul has proved that he is a quality player and hasn't played that bad this season.

"It is a long competition; it has been documented that very few batters have gone through 15 or 16 games playing better at some stages than others KL has proved that he is quality and I don't think he has played bad at all at the moment. I think we have so much high expectations from him and I think he is a game away from blowing open for us," a news agency quoted Klusener.

Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty shared a cryptic post on Instagram that read, "The calm after the storm'.

LSG is playing against Delhi in a must-win IPL 2024 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Under KL Rahul's captaincy, LSG reached the playoffs in their first two years in the IPL -- 2022 and 2023. LSG need nothing less than a victory in their last two games to retain their hopes of reaching the playoffs.