On Wednesday, April 19, at the Sawai Man singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur, the 26th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 saw a furious match between the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals. Lucknow, which had lost the toss, entered the field to bat first as Kyle Mayers and captain KL Rahul sought to provide a solid foundation for the squad in the opening session.
In contrast to Rahul, who hit 39 runs in 32 balls, Kyle Mayers amassed 51 runs in 42 deliveries during their tough performances. Kevin Pietersen and the other pundits began talking about how the game has changed over the years, when both batters only managed to score 37 runs in the powerplay without losing a wicket. Rahul’s approach to the game and if his knock was appropriate for a demanding T20 format game were also questioned by Pietersen.
The 42-year-old is currently trending on social media after supposedly calling the Lucknow captain’s knock dull. However, Kevin Pietersen never stated this explicitly, so it was not the case. The on-air pundits were merely criticizing Kyle Mayers and Rahul for their sluggish play against the Rajasthan Royals in the first inning.
Is K.L. Rahul’s style of play appropriate for the game? Kevin Pietersen
Trent Boult struck out against KL Rahul in the game’s first over, and when the 31-year-old batted with two runs in seven balls, Kevin Pietersen said, “Teams sometimes don’t mind people getting out on zero.” As long as they are going out and scoring at a 200 or 300 strike rate, they don’t mind occasional 2s. That is how the game is played. Is KL Rahul’s style of play and the game appropriate?
The former England batter also expressed his opinion regarding both batters’ deliberate approach in the early going and their decision to take shots from inside the crease, stating, “But again, standing in the crease, playing from the crease, it’s boring.”
The analysts didn’t directly mention KL Rahul but rather made generic remarks while keeping in mind the T20 format.
India
