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The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have had a mixed bag as far as the IPL 2023 season is concerned, but their skipper KL Rahul hasn't quite been able to hit top gear yet. With scores of just 8(12) and 20(18) in the two games so far, Rahul hasn't been able to bring his A-game to the table as a batter.
After being sidelined from India's T20I team, IPL 2023 was supposed to be a huge season for KL Rahul if he wanted to earn his place back in the national team in the shortest format. The charge for that place, however, has been far from impressive so far.
This indifferent form from the LSG skipper hurt the team on Monday as they lost to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 12 runs. This result has given the management and especially Rahul something to think about.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why KL Rahul's indifferent form has affected the Lucknow Super Giants:
#3 Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya's poor form
Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya's form so far hasn't helped LSG even a bit. In both games, the two batters had their moments where they could have batted deep and scored big. However, their returns are not something you expect from your No.3 and No.4.
This makes it almost paramount for KL Rahul to play the role of that experienced Indian batter who scores prolifically. With the LSG skipper also struggling, the big-hitters have had to do the bulk of the scoring, which takes us to our next point.
#2 Entry points of Stoinis, Pooran getting delayed
From the first two games, it looks like Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran have been assigned the duty to finish the LSG innings by giving them more impetus and an extra 15-20 runs than expected. But that ploy has not worked so far due to the failure of the top order.
Apart from Kyle Mayers, no one else, especially KL Rahul, has been able to cash in on the good start. Rahul not scoring enough runs and wickets falling in clusters has forced Stoinis and Pooran to repair the team's innings and play outside their comfort zone.
Had they received a better platform from Rahul and others at the top against CSK, LSG could have won the game in a canter.
#1 KL Rahul going into a shell
Arguably the biggest worry for LSG is KL Rahul not being able to hit top gear straightaway. Rahul is a naturally gifted player with all the shots in the book, but sometimes inexplicably goes into a shell. In T20 cricket, one can't afford to miss out on taking advantage of the powerplay restrictions.
With Rahul not showing enough intent up front, Mayers needs to do the bulk of the scoring. There will be games where the likes of Mayers and Quinton de Kock will fail and that's when Rahul's conservative game will affect LSG even more.
KL Rahul needs to look nowhere else but at his own game during that incredible 2018 season that he had with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). LSG will hope that he finds his mojo soon and gets back to his belligerent best.
