The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have landed in a fresh controversy after their recent social media post celebrating India’s performances in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 left out star batter KL Rahul, despite his standout performance in the five-match Test series.
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise shared a collage of India’s best moments from the England tour, highlighting skipper Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and pacers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. Pant and Akash, who both represent LSG in the IPL, featured multiple times in the collage.
LSG faces backlash for leaving KL Rahul out of tribute post
But what caught attention was the complete absence of KL Rahul, who had been one of India’s most consistent batters in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, in the celebratory post shared by the Lucknow Super Giants across their social media handles.
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Rahul has finished the five-match Test series with 532 runs at an impressive average of 53.20 while opening the innings against the new ball in challenging conditions in England. His numbers were the third-best overall in the Test series, behind only Shubman Gill (754) and Joe Root (537).
The omission has sparked backlash, with the former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh publicly criticizing the LSG for their embarrassing move. Ganesh questioned why KL Rahul, who played a key role in India’s drawn Test series in England, was excluded entirely from the tribute.
This is getting embarrassing: Dodda Ganesh slams LSG
Sharing LSG’s post on his X handle on August 8, Dodda Ganesh wrote, “This is getting embarrassing. Couldn’t get a picture of an opener who played the new ball and scored 500+ runs. ”
This is getting embarrassing. Couldn’t get a picture of an opener who played the new ball and scored 500+ runs https://t.co/fGhFFuOWi3
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) August 8, 2025
Fans agreed with Ganesh’s view and accused LSG of purposely leaving Rahul out despite his match-winning performances in the series. Some even called the Lucknow Super Giants’ move “petty” and “disgusting.”
One user commented, “Many people already hate this team owner, @DrSanjivGoenka, & he’s making sure that everyone should hate him . Such low-level pathetic behavior.”
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Sanjiv Goenka-KL Rahul history of public spat
However, this is not the first time LSG has faced criticism over their social media post excluding KL Rahul. There is a history between Rahul and the Lucknow franchise. The LSG owner, Sanjiv Goenka, had shown anger to the right-handed batter on live TV during the IPL 2024.
After that season, Rahul and LSG parted ways, with the Karnataka star joining Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025. Meanwhile, Rahul was the first-ever captain of the Lucknow Super Giants and led them to two playoff appearances in a row in the cash-rich T20 league.
However, Sanjiv Goenka’s heated exchange with Rahul in public ended their association. Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, Rishabh Pant joined LSG from Delhi Capitals for a massive INR 27 crore at the auction and was made captain. But the change in leadership didn’t improve the team’s fortunes.
LSG ended up finishing seventh in the points table, and Rishabh Pant struggled with the bat for most of the tournament, only finding form in the last group-stage match. Notably, Rahul joined Delhi Capitals for a whopping 14 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
