Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded KL Rahul for playing an aggressive knock in the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) IPL 2024 match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well. However, CSK posted a 177-run target in Lucknow on Friday, April 19 as well. Rahul then scored 82 runs off 53 deliveries as the hosts chased the target down with eight wickets and an over in hand.

Reflecting on LSG’s chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “KL Rahul – batting was absolutely stellar. We saw kamaal Rahul’s lajawab batting. If you see his strike rate in the powerplay this year and compare it with the last five years, he is scoring almost 35 extra runs (per 100 balls). He used to go at a strike rate of 105-115 and is going at 154 this time.”

“Even in the overall strike rate, you can see that there is a definite spike. Against this bowling, especially against (Matheesha) Pathirana, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande, this team pushes you a little, but he batting extremely well. It was Jaddu’s flying catch in the end, or else he would have finished the match and gone,” Chopra again shared.

However, KL Rahul hit nine fours and three sixes in his 82-run knock. Jadeja took a stunning one-handed catch at backward point off Matheesha Pathirana’s bowling as well.

“Player of the Match knock from KL Rahul and you expect him to do that. It was important for him to score runs to bring his team back on track. So KL scoring runs was good and if Quinton fires along with him, it is enjoyable. Quinton was going at a run-a-ball at the start, struggling a little, but then his wagon also caught the rhythm,” he shared.

“He (De Kock) also scored runs. He got a life but he scored a fifty and KL Rahul scored 82. Whatever job was left, Nicky P came and did that, and Chennai were handed another away defeat. They are struggling slightly away from home. They played well at home. In the end, they won by eight wickets, so it was almost a one-sided victory,” Aakash Chopra concluded.