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Ace batter KL Rahul's absence during toss for Lucknow Super Giants versus Punjab Kings' IPL 2024 clash sparked confusion on March 30. Instead of Rahul, LSG's stand-in skipper Nicholas Pooran walked in for the toss at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. However, moments later Pooran lifted the suspense over Rahul's absence during the toss.
Confusion over KL Rahul
During the toss Nicholas Pooran said that KL Rahul has an injury, since has been eased off and is being carefully managed following after a two-month injury layoff. Rahul came in to open LSG's innings alongside Quinton de Kock.
“We'll bat first. Looks like a good track, runs on the board could be vital. KL has an injury and we're looking to give him a break in such a long tournament. Everyone must take the opportunities and perform at their best”, Pooran said after the toss.
Meanwhile, after losing the toss Shikhar Dhawan said:
“We would have bowled first, lots of dew when we came to the ground (last night). Our lines cane be tight, while batting, we can't afford to lose wickets in clusters. It's still early in the tournament and we've spoken about that in the dressing room. We'll have to make the most of the powerplay. No changes for us”.
Pooran won the toss and opted to bat first against Dhawan-led PBKS. The season kicked off for LSG with a loss against Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, while PBKS opened with a victory against Delhi Capitals, only to face defeat by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their subsequent away game.
KL Rahul's injury woes
Rahul's return from injury has been a rollercoaster. A quadriceps injury forced him to miss the India versus England Test series just before the IPL 2024 season began. He did manage a comeback in the IPL, scoring a 58 against Rajasthan Royals, but his team lost the match. This wasn't his first injury setback. He also missed the second half of the IPL 2023 due to a hamstring injury, and his team, Lucknow Super Giants, were knocked out in the Eliminator by Mumbai Indians. However, Rahul bounced back strongly for Team India. He played a vital role in the middle order during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He was also in top form during the Test tour to South Africa and the first Test against England in Hyderabad, scoring 89 runs. Despite regaining fitness for the IPL, the BCCI medical team advised Rahul to focus solely on batting in the initial stages and avoid wicket-keeping duties. Interestingly, he played as both the designated keeper and opener for Lucknow in their first match of the tournament. Notably, Rahul hasn't played a T20I for India since their World Cup semifinal loss to England in Adelaide back in 2022.
Punjab Kings' Playing XI:
Shikhar Dhawan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Punjab Kings Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Roussouw, Tanay Thagarajan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Bhatia
Lucknow Super Giants' Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock(w), KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran(c), Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth.
Lucknow Super Giants Subs: Ashton Turner, Naveen-ul-Haq, Amit Mishra, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham
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