Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) skipper KL Rahul was the side's hero against Mumbai Indians (MI) during their 18-run victory over the five-time champions in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season in Mumbai on Saturday (April 16). The 29-year-old opening batter hit a brilliant unbeaten 60-ball 103 as he carried the bat for his side, leading them to a score of 199.
After a below-par start to his campaign, Rahul seemed relieved to have finally made an impact for his team. At the post-match press conference, the India opener referred to his century as 'special', and also added that he wanted to cash in on the pitch, "Special day, special hundred. Was a good pitch and wanted to make it count. Got a few boundaries away early, haven't got the amount of runs that I'd have wanted, haven't got the team to the kind of start that I wanted, wanted to cash in on this good pitch. Day games are a bit different, but dew does play a factor in the night games, it's unpredictable as well."
Rahul was also proud of his team's bowling effort, and hopes that they can continue with such displays going forward, "We have defended really well, the bowlers have really come to the game, that's something we can take forward going ahead. Bowling first, we'll have a clear plan, that's something we can take away from bowling first. At times, we have lost a couple of wickets and it's hard to come back, but we have done so at times, and that's something which bodes well going ahead."
Meanwhile, their opponents MI suffered their sixth straight loss of the season, leaving them stranded at the bottom of the table. However, Rahul did not want to get carried away with his performance after their win, "I don't look at oppositions differently. MI are a champion franchise, they're always competitive, I love the challenge of playing against different oppositions, yes, I have done well against them, but I always try and do well against every other franchise, I don't want to get too carried away and stay with the moment."
"We have played good cricket, nothing to take away from the other teams, we need to keep our feet on the ground and stay humble, keep learning. We're a new franchise, but we have a brilliant team, enjoy spending time with these guys - the team we have picked in the auction, we were clear we wanted good guys in the set-up," the LSG captain added.
