Following Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) exit from IPL 2023, the team found themselves in a situation where they had to silence mentions of "mango," "mangoes," "sweet," and "aam" due to relentless trolling directed at Naveen-ul-Haq, one of their players. Despite Naveen-ul-Haq's impressive performance with a four-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator match at Chepauk on May 24, LSG faced a defeat.
The decision to mute the words related to mango stemmed from a controversy that arose when Naveen-ul-Haq previously posted Instagram stories that mocked Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during their lackluster performance in the league stage. Naveen made playful references to RCB's struggles using the term "sweet mangoes" and even shared a laughing meme video after RCB's elimination by the Gujarat Titans.
After LSG's loss to the Mumbai Indians, fans took to Twitter to remind Naveen of his earlier mango-related taunts. In response to the trolling, LSG took to their official Twitter account and shared a screenshot that indicated they had muted mentions of mango-related terms, thereby attempting to address the situation.
Naveen heroics in vain
Amidst the trolls and criticism directed at him, Naveen-ul-Haq showcased his brilliance on the field during the match against the Mumbai Indians. The Afghan pacer delivered an exceptional performance, taking four crucial wickets that included the dismissals of Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Cameron Green.
Unfortunately, LSG's batting lineup faltered during their pursuit of the challenging target of 183 runs, leading to a disappointing defeat by a substantial margin of 81 runs.
Despite the setback, Lucknow Super Giants remain determined and have pledged to come back stronger in the next season. Their sights are now set on regrouping and refining their strategies for future campaigns. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians have advanced to Qualifier 2, where they will face the Gujarat Titans. The outcome of that match will determine which team earns the opportunity to compete in the final against the formidable Chennai Super Kings, vying for the coveted IPL title.
