LSG vs RCB IPL 2022 Eliminator: KL Rahul drops Dinesh Karthik’s catch as mentor Gautam Gambhir loses cool, WATCH

KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants bowed out of the IPL 2022 after a 14-run loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday (May 25). Skipper Rahul tried his best to keep LSG in the hunt, scoring 79 off 58 balls in a mammoth chase of 208 but LSG failed to get over the line.

It was Rahul’s mistakes on the field in the RCB innings which also ultimately cost his side. The LSG captain dropped an easy catch off Dinesh Karthik, who went on to turn the match with a brilliant partnership in tandem with centurion Rajat Patidar.

The incident took place in the 15th over of the RCB innings. The LSG skipper was fielding at mid-off and Karthik got a leading edge off Mohsin Khan’s bowling. The ball went into the air and Rahul did well to get his hands to the ball. However, he could not complete the catch because the ball wobbled out of his hands as he hit the ground.

LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir was initially clapping thinking that Rahul had taken a clean catch. However, Gambhir's reaction changed immediately. He covered his face with both hands in disappointment. At that time Karthik was batting on two runs.

Here is the video of the incident…

pic.twitter.com/o7tUbHm5ZZ — Yashi (@Smash_Jaiswal) May 25, 2022

A dejected LSG skipper KL Rahul blamed sloppy fielding for his team’s 14-run defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL Eliminator while acknowledging Rajat Patidar’s brilliant hundred being the difference between the two teams. The 28-year-old Indore man Patidar scored a 54-ball 112 not out to singlehandedly win the IPL Eliminator for RCB.

“I think it’s quite obvious – the reasons why we didn’t win. We let ourselves down in the field. Dropping easy catches never helps. Difference was obviously Patidar playing such a knock. When someone in the top three scores a hundred, more often the team wins,” Rahul said after the match.

Patidar was dropped thrice on the day en route his hundred and Rahul was livid with his team’s fielding. “They fielded really well and we were poor,” he summed it up.

He however was happy that as a new franchise they finished in top four in their first season. “We’ll take back a lot of positives. It’s a new franchise. We’ve made a lot of mistakes, every team does that. Have to try and come back stronger. It’s a young team. They’ll learn from their mistakes, go back home and try and be better players.”

(with PTI inputs)