'If I was KL Rahul's coach, I would....' - Sanjay Manjrekar opines after RCB beat LSG in IPL 2022 Eliminator

KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) locked horns with perennial underachievers Faf du Plessis' Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022's Eliminator at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday (May 25). In a high-scoring thriller, the three-time runners-up RCB stunned LSG by 14 runs to edge past them and book a slot in Qualifier 2.

Opting to bowl first, Rahul & Co. leaked runs at will as No. 3 batter Rajat Patidar's stunning 112*, laced with 12 fours and 7 sixes at a whopping strike rate of 207.41, helped RCB post 207-4. Dinesh Karthik also contributed with an impressive 23-ball 37not out.In reply, LSG lost in-form opener Quinton de Kock for cheap but had skipper Rahul's presence till the penultimate over before losing by 14 runs to bow out of the tournament.

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While Rahul top-scored for his side with a good-looking 58-ball 79, his strike rate was below 150 (136.21) and never managed to accelerate consistently to draw some criticism post Lucknow's defeat. Former Indian cricketer-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar dived deep into Rahul's strike rate issues and pointed out how he costs his side in some crunch run-chases by looking to bat deeper than quicker.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar opined how something similar would happen while Rahul was leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2020 and IPL 2021 - where finishers like Nicholas Pooran would not get enough time to get their eye in and go big.

"Quinton de Kock's wicket was very crucial because that would have taken the pressure off KL Rahul. KL Rahul's innings is something that we have seen before, when he was captain of Punjab Kings, the team would fall short of a run chase. And the scenario would be the same. You will have a KL Rahul bat till the very end, they would have lost three or four wickets, and people like Pooran would come in, like Evin Lewis came in the last two overs, Krunal and Stoinis towards the last, so it's like working with the crumbs and you have to come in and make up for the lack of the pace the innings had," Manjrekar said.

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At the post-match presentation, Rahul shifted the blame on the fielders for LSG's exit. "I think it's quite obvious - the reasons why we didn't win. We let ourselves down in the field. Dropping easy catches never helps. Difference was obviously Patidar playing such a knock. When someone in the top three scores a hundred, more often the team wins. They fielded really well and we were poor. We'll take back a lot of positives. It's a new franchise. We've made a lot of mistakes, every team does that. Have to try and come back stronger," he stated.

Now, RCB face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 on Friday (May 28) at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad and the winner will face Gujarat Titans (GT), at the same venue, in the final on Sunday (May 29).