'Pressure got to us in the last 3-4 overs,' admits KL Rahul after LSG' disaster loss vs GT

KL Rahul on Saturday admitted that "pressure got to" Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last three-four overs during their disaster loss to Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

LSG needed 12 runs in the final over, with well-set Rahul and Ayush Badoni at the crease. In what turned out to be a shocking over for Lucknow, they lost four wickets in the next five deliveries as GT sealed the game by seven runs.

Rahul clinched a 38-ball 50 but from there on he was clueless as he managed just 18 runs in the next 23 deliveries. After crossing 30, Rahul's innings drastically slowed down as he scored runs at a strike-rate as low as 70.97.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, a disappointed LSG skipper said that he cannot point out exactly what went wrong for his side on Saturday.

"I don't know how it happened, but it has happened. I can't put a finger on where it went wrong, but we lost 2 points today, this is cricket. I thought we were brilliant with the ball, 135 was 10 runs under par, the bowling was exceptional, we started well with the bat, but these things happen, we'll have to take it on the chin. But still a long way to go, 8 points off 7 games, we were on the wrong side of the result today," said Rahul.

LSG remain in second place in IPL 2023 table with eight points from seven matches.

"We were well ahead in the game and I wasn't really trying to bat deep, I still wanted to play my shots, take on the bowlers, but they bowled well in that 2-3 over period, by Noor and Jayant, we perhaps should have taken a few more chances with wickets in hand, they bowled decently, but I think we missed out on some boundary opportunities, the pressure got to us in the last 3-4 overs, we played well until then. They did bowl well though," added Rahul.

Rahul struck eight fours in his knock of 68 off 61 balls as he scored at a strike-rate of 111.48, which was the third lowest strike-rate in an innings of 60+ balls in the IPL, after JP Duminy (93.9, vs PBKS in 2009) and Aaron Finch (109.7, vs MI in 2014).

Hardik Pandya: Mohit Sharma made my life easy

Meanwhile, GT captain Hardik Pandya heaped praise on his side for pulling off a superb victory in Lucknow. He hailed fast bowler Mohit Sharma, who bowled the final over of the match and defended 12 runs as he clinched two wickets and produced two run-outs.

"Credit to the boys. We are a champion side, we won last year. You have to be satisfied with your results. The spirit and the atmosphere changed after getting wickets, that's a very great feeling. A win like this can boost your confidence. I think the way the wicket was playing, we could have got 10 runs more. There was uncertainty. They bowled well and made our life difficult. Batters couldn't get rhythm because of the wicket. During the strategic timeout we spoke about the set batter going for it towards the end. We were always chasing them, and never in it.

"When they needed 30 runs in 30 balls, I thought they were ahead. But when they required 27 in 4 overs, I thought they were under pressure. That's where I thought we could be in the game," added Hardik.

"The way every bowler contributed, as a captain I couldn't have asked for. With the amount of cricket he (Mohit Sharma) has played, I don't have to interfere. He made my life easy, he backed his plans and executed it. Shami and Mohit were tremendous, special mention to Jayant who was playing after a long time. Noor has some talent as well," said Hardik, who captained GT to IPL glory last year.

With eight points from six games, GT are placed fourth in the IPL 2023 table. Their next game is on Tuesday as they host Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad. LSG, on the other hand, are scheduled to travel to Mohali to take on PBKS on Friday.