Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul's strike rate has come under the flak several times in T20 cricket. On many occasions, fans have criticised the Indian batter for not keeping up with the strike rate and taking the game deep. Meanwhile, LSG's head coach Justin Langer has backed the team captain ahead of their game against Punjab Kings at home.
During the chase against Rajasthan Royals in their opening game, Rahul scored 58 from 44 balls at a strike rate of 131.82 when the team needed 194 to win. LSG needed 65 from the last six overs and had Rahul and Nicholas Pooran at the crease but they could not take the team home. Langer has backed Rahul. "I'm not going to lose one second's sleep over KL Rahul," LSG coach Langer said while backing Rahul over the strike rate criticism.
Notably, LSG will lock horns against PBKS at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow in their first home game of the season. They are the only team to have played just one game in the ongoing season till now as eight sides have featured in two games each, while RCB have played three matches.
Shamar Joseph will have to wait more
Meanwhile, the LSG coach has stated that Shamar Joseph is unlikely to play the match against Punjab. "I love his spirit and athleticism but he's still very young. He's pushing hard for selection but I don't think he'll play tomorrow though," Langer said on Joseph.
LSG are placed at the bottom of the points table as they lost their opening encounter to Rajasthan Royals by 20 runs. They have the worst Net run rate (-1.000) going into this game and are banking on the home advantage to get a win.
For PBKS though, they have a win to show in their two outings. Shikhar Dhawan's Punjab defeated Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals in their tournament opener in Mullanpur, before going down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their second outing at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Kings are placed in 5th position with their NRR being just in positive (+0.025).
