Mumbai: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team mentor Gautam Gambhir wasn’t amused after the second-placed team suffered its heaviest defeat of IPL 2022, against fellow-debutants and table-toppers Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night.
The World Cup-winning former Team India opener was visibly upset because he felt LSG gave up.
Chasing 145 for victory, LSG were skittled out for 82 in 13.5 overs with as many as seven batters – including skipper KL Rahul – falling for single-digit scores.
In a post-match lecture in the dressing room, Gambhir said there was no place for a ‘weak’ team in a tournament like the IPL.
“There is nothing wrong in losing, it is absolutely fine. One team has to win, one team has to lose. But there is a lot wrong in giving up… Today I thought we gave up… And honestly, there is no place for being weak in a tournament like the IPL or in sport. That is where the problem is. We have beaten sides in this competition but I felt today we lacked the game sense, which was more important,” Gambhir is seen addressing the players in a video uploaded by Lucknow Super Giants.
Watch the video here:
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Gujarat Titans became the first team to seal a top-four playoff berth. However, despite their fourth defeat, Lucknow remain in second place with 16 points from 12 games.
Rahul’s men are very much in contention for a playoff berth. Another win will confirm their progress in the tournament. They might even qualify even if they lose both remaining matches, depending on other results.
