Brett Lee has echoed the sentiments of some of his fellow former cricketers when it comes to Sanjiv Goenka’s outburst on KL Rahul following LSG’s defeat to SRH.
The post-match visuals from the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 match two evenings ago sent shockwaves, to say the least. The frame where LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka simply went off on captain KL Rahul was highly surprising and upsetting at the same time. Episodes of tiffs between owners and players are nothing new but to see dirty laundry being washed in public is something even the IPL, for all its share of controversy generated, had never witnessed. This is an Indian international cricketer at the end of the day… and a bloody good one at that, and to see him standing there hopelessly, possibly berated, was shattering.
Brett Lee reacted to the blow up between Sanjiv Goenka and KL Rahul(Screengrab-Getty)
In the last 24 hours, articles have been written, Goenka blasted and Rahul sympathised. Yet, reactions continue to pour in. Earlier in the day, Shami called the public outburst a matter of shame, while Naveen Ul Haq fuelled LSG’s crisis situation on his Instagram handle. Reports have surfaced that Rahul will not captain in LSG’s remaining games of this season, only to be brushed off by another close source. That’s how much of a buzz this Goenka vs Rahul chapter has created.
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Former Australia speedster Brett Lee has shared his two cents on the matter, echoing some of the other ex-cricketers who felt the discussion should have stayed indoors, no matter how animated or heated it got. Lee reckons that while the blow-up resonates with the passion everyone involved in a franchise – owner and coaches included – have for the game, the wiser thing would have been to do it behind closed doors.
“There is a place behind closed doors that might have been a better option rather than the whole world watching. If it were done behind closed doors, you wouldn’t have been asking me this question now. But also, on the other side, it shows the passion that the owners and coaches have… they want their team to do well and be the best, so maybe, pick your time,” Lee said during an event in Delhi.
Does Rahul vs Goenka paint the real picture of franchise cricket?
Rahul wasn’t the only one who faced the brunt. LSG coach Justin Langer too received a bit of a pasting from Goenka, whose LSG is playing just their third season. And to think that Rahul had led LSG to back-to-back IPL Playoffs last two seasons – albeit he was injured last year. Seeing Goenka’s public meltdown led to multiple questions. Is this the reality of franchise cricket? Is this the reason why some players thrive better in IPL than while representing the nation? Is really so much at stake? Possible, but does it give the owners the right to express their anger with reputed players, let alone someone of Rahul’s calibre?
Owners such as Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan have been around the IPL since the very beginning. In fact, Zinta’s Punjab Kings is yet to win an IPL title, yet we’ve seldom seen her lose her calm on national television. The same goes for Shah Rukh. Although he has won the title twice, KKR haven’t won a trophy in the last 10 years. Dead sure both have their frustrations with the coaching staff and even the players, but neither has unleashed the same way Goenka did the other evening.
