'Stupid cricket with the bat' - Lucknow skipper KL Rahul unhappy with batters despite beating Punjab

Lucknow have been superb in the Indian T20 league 2022 so far. Their 20-run win over Punjab was their sixth victory of this edition. They are currently placed third on the points table. It is safe to say that they have looked like a force to reckon with.

During the 42nd match of the 2022 edition, Lucknow's bowlers ensured that Punjab don't go on to chase 154 in the second innings. Although their bowling was superb, Lucknow's batters weren't really at their best. None of them were able to get to a big score as the KL Rahul-led side kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Thus, their skipper wasn't impressed with his batters. It is to be noted that he himself was dismissed after scoring six runs from 11 balls. During the post-match presentation, Rahul was critical of his batters, and lashed out at them for playing "stupid cricket". Quinton de Kock was Lucknow's highest run-scorer as he scored 46 runs in 37 balls.

“I was disappointed and fuming at the end of the first innings. Stupid cricket with the bat. We need to get better with the bat. Half-time, when Quinny (Quinton de Kock) and Deepak (Hooda) were batting. They paced it really really well to get to 60 in 9 overs on a tricky wicket. Had we batted smartly, we could have gotten to 180-190," said KL Rahul during the post-match presentation.

Lucknow had a batting collapse as they went from 98-1 to 109-5 in a matter of 14 deliveries. Nevertheless, some lusty blows from their bowlers ensured that the Lucknow-based franchise got to a respectable total. Rahul stated that they needed to be smart, and read the game better. However, he did praise his bowlers, and had some kind words for Krunal Pandya.

“I think we just need to be smarter in reading the game. If we could have not played too many shots we could have done better. We have been good on the field and good with the ball. Just need to keep repeating the good things. The way we responded with the ball was phenomenal. Krunal (Pandya) has been brilliant throughout the tournament. This season he has really worked on his bowling,” he added.