During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday, KL Rahul, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), sustained a hamstring injury while attempting to prevent the ball from crossing the boundary line.
Rahul abruptly stopped and appeared to be uncomfortable before leaving the field. Following the injury, the Karnataka batter did not take the field and could not open the innings for the hosts. Nonetheless, Rahul showed utmost bravery, and despite being in severe pain, he eventually came to bat after the 9th wicket fell for Lucknow.
It is still unclear regarding the status of Rahul’s injury, but according to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will assume responsibility for his case from the franchise. According to Cricbuzz, Rahul’s participation in the remainder of IPL 2023 will depend on the BCCI and the National Cricket Academy’s decision.
Scans are currently being conducted as Rahul has experienced pain and swelling, and the star cricketer can miss a few matches for the Lucknow team. He remains with the squad in Lucknow but will not play in Wednesday’s (May 3) game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the absence of Rahul, the Lucknow franchise has decided to name all-rounder Krunal Pandya as the skipper to lead the side.
The possible reason as to why BCCI has decided to monitor Rahul’s situation is the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, which is scheduled to take place in just a month. Notably, Rahul is the second wicket-keeper in the India squad for the summit clash against Australia.
Speaking about LSG, they have two options to replace Rahul: bring in Manan Vohra or get Quinton de Kock in the final XI. If they go with De Kock, then LSG will have to bring an Indian pacer in place of Naveen ul Haq.
