NEW DELHI: The visuals of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka speaking to his former captain KL Rahul at the boundary ropes during IPL 2024, and then to current captain Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 after defeats, have gone viral and have not gone down well with fans. There has been considerable chatter among cricket followers regarding Goenka’s strict approach, with many believing he demands strong results from his team.However, LSG’s star pacer Mohammed Shami has defended the owner, saying Goenka is passionate about cricket and communicates well with players.Shami, who is set to feature in his first match in LSG colours against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, said it is natural for someone who invests heavily in a team to have high expectations.
“Jitni meri mulaqat hui hai, 2-3 mulaqat unse hui hai abhi tak. Bahut achhe tareeke se unhone baat ki hai, logic par baat ki hai, team ko lekar baat ki hai. Aur dekho, koi bhi insaan ho — jab aap par itna invest karta hai apni team banane ke liye, itna bada amount bharta hai, to uska expectation high hona to ek normal si baat hai. Wo jaayaz bhi hai [I’ve met him a few times — around two or three times so far. He has always spoken very well, very logically, and the conversations have been around the team. Look, anyone who invests so much money into building a team will naturally have high expectations. That’s completely normal, and it’s justified],” Shami said in a podcast with Shubhankar Mishra.LSG made it to the playoffs in their first two seasons in 2022 and 2023, but endured disappointing campaigns in 2024 and 2025, failing to qualify for the playoffs.“To agar Goenka ji itne possessive hain us cheez ke liye, to koi galat nahi hai. Wo agar aapse expectation rakhte hain ki mera player ye kare, mera player ye best kare, to usmein koi harj nahi hai. Bahut saare meme bhi bane hain, bahut saari cheezein bani hain jo sahi nahi hain. Kyunki aap kisi normal insaan ko lekar aao — 5000 rupaye lagakar dekho kisi cheez mein, 10 baar dil dhadakta hai ki mere 5000 na chale jaayein, mere 10 hazaar na chale jaayein [So if Goenka ji is that possessive about his team, there’s nothing wrong with it. If he expects his players to perform and deliver their best, there’s no harm in that. There have been a lot of memes and a lot of things going around that aren’t right. If you take a normal person — even if they invest Rs 5000 in something, their heart skips a beat thinking their money might be lost],” the pacer added.The veteran pacer has played 119 IPL matches so far and claimed 133 wickets in his career.Shami, who was bought by LSG for Rs 10 crore, said he has always had a positive experience interacting with Goenka. Over the years, he has represented multiple franchises, including Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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Do you think Sanjiv Goenka expectations from players are justified?
“Ek aadmi itna bada amount lagakar baitha hai, har cheez ki expect karega. Wo aapse har us chhoti si cheez ki expect karega jisse use khushi mile — aur wo cheez jaayaz hai. Agar saamne wala aapse koi baat karna chahta hai, to aapko baat karni chahiye. Kisi cheez ko agar wo discuss karna chahta hai, to aapko us tareeke se discuss karna chahiye. To main is cheez mein bahut open hoon. Goenka ji se jitni bhi maine baat ki hai, mujhe bahut achha laga unse baat karke — jis way mein unhone baat ki, jis tareeke se baat ki [When someone has invested such a huge amount, they will expect everything. They will expect even the smallest things that give them happiness — and that is justified. If someone wants to talk to you, you should talk. If they want to discuss something, you should engage in that discussion properly. I’m very open about these things. Whatever conversations I’ve had with Goenka ji, I’ve really liked them — the way he speaks, the clarity with which he communicates],” he said.“But dekho, kahin na kahin kuch na kuch hota hai. Aise captain bhi hote hain jahan aapko frustration ho jaata hai, aise player bhi hote hain jahan kabhi kabhi frustration hota hai. To agar kahin kuch hota hai aur koi expect kar raha hai, to usmein itne saare jo dramae chale hain, itne saare jo meme bane hain — ye sab cheezein kabhi kabhi unnecessary ho jaati hain. [But look, somewhere or the other, things do happen. There are times when even a captain gets frustrated, and there are times when players feel frustrated too. So if something happens and expectations are involved, then all the drama and memes that follow — sometimes they just become unnecessary],” the Indian pacer said.
