KL Rahul Injury Update: Will LSG Captain Bat vs RCB at Ekana Sports City Today?

Only a couple of overs into Indian Premier League 2023 Match 43 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, a limping Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul had to return to the dressing room after what appears to be a thigh muscle pull.

It all happened on the last delivery of the second over when Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis drove a Marcus Stoinis delivery through the cover region. Running in from inside the 30-yard circle, Rahul would’ve stopped a boundary in the general run of things but it wasn’t to be on this particular occasion primarily due to an injury.

Feeling discomfort to his right thigh before the ball touched the boundary rope, Rahul gave up on the chase after realizing having done some harm to himself in the process.

KL Rahul Injury Update

The 31-year old player appeared to be in a substantial amount of discomfort from the word go. Rahul, who continued to lie down on the ground for an elongated period of time, eventually stood up with the help of the support staff before walking back with a lot of difficulty.

The sight of a stretcher on any sports field doesn’t portray a rosy picture with respect to the injured athlete. While a stretcher was being brought towards Rahul, him walking on his own feet provided some sort of encouragement for the fans of the home team.

Having said that, there has been no official injury update from Lucknow as of now. Hence, it will be unfair to comment anything around Rahul’s chances of batting in the second innings.

BREAKING: Admin has no update on KL’s injury. Yet. 🙏

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) May 1, 2023

Assuming that he isn’t able to bat, he could be substituted by one of Ayush Badoni or Prerak Mankad under the Impact Player Rule. Alternatively, if Rahul feels fit enough to bat (but not run between the wickets in an ideal manner), he could be seen playing an all-attack role in the powerplay contrary to his recent form. In such a scenario, Badoni or Mankad could be included for a specialist bowler.

UPDATE: Badoni has come in as pacer Yash Thakur’s substitute. Rahul, meanwhile, was seen walking gingerly on his own in the dugout.

Who is Leading Lucknow Super Giants in KL Rahul’s Absence?

With all-rounder Krunal Pandya being Super Giants’ designated vice-captain, he is leading them in Lucknow at the moment. Readers must note that Pandya has led LSG on a such a temporary basis in the past as well.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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