IPL 2025: KL Rahul Proves his Selfless Ability as a Batsman for Delhi Capitals
‘Watching KL Rahul bat is like sitting and watching paint dry on the wall’. Kevin Pietersen had once made this tweet for KL’s batting a while ago, which had gone viral and obviously not too well with the cricketer himself and his ardent fans.
Not too long ago, when Rahul candidly brought up that old tweet after winning the Player of the Match award for his impressive batting against CSK in their last game, KP, the present mentor of DC franchise laughed and reverted – “Did I say that? Well, I’m glad you changed your game”.
This playful moment during the post-match chat between Pietrsen and Rahul indicated a healthy banter the two presently share. In a light-hearted dig, KL Rahul jokingly reminded Pietersen of his old comment, calling his batting boring.
Rahul, however, was anything but boring in the last game, scoring a Klassy 77 off 51 balls, with a commendable strike rate of 150.98. He smashed three sixes and six fours to help DC post a total of 183 for 6 and eventually clinch their third straight victory.
Rahul’s heartfelt comments shared by the Delhi Capitals social media team threw light on the revamping done on his game style, following the widespread criticism over his slow strike rate while playing for Lucknow Super Giants last season. It was the same year that he was dropped from the 2024 T20 World Cup squad, which came as a bitter pill to swallow.
Promoted at the eleventh hour to open the batting for his team, after Faf du Plessis was ruled out due to an injury, the adaptable craftsman KL Rahul produced a knock of quiet finesse that became the centerpiece in Delhi Capitals win in Chennai.
From the looks of it, Rahul doesn’t seem to have a permanent slot in the batting line-up, either for India or for his franchise. Interestingly, he doesn’t have a fixed preference also, for as long as gets to play the match, he doesn’t mind the order he’s told to bat at.
The issue came up for discussion and DC head coach Hemang Badani was quick to respond that it’s the right-hander’s inherent ability to adapt as per the situation that makes him such a flexible cricketer.
He has got the caliber, mindset and understanding of the game to go up the order or bat in the middle. Opening is a familiar ground for Rahul. It’s also where he’s faced the sharpest scrutiny for anchoring too much, for not keeping pace with the game. But there has been a shift in the gears off late.
At 32, KL Rahul seems fiercely determined to step out of the old template.
He also revealed that with time he has realized that T20 cricket has changed a lot and now he wants to just enjoy hitting boundaries. “I think somewhere I found the fun playing white-ball cricket, I think somewhere along the way I had lost that fun of hitting boundaries and hitting sixes.’
‘So back to enjoying my cricket. Just see the ball and try to be aggressive’.
From “paint dry” to being a power-packed disruptor, Rahul, has recently also embraced fatherhood, played with complete intent, fluency and composure against CSK.
His art of switching gears from bottom to the top, where he is ready to bat at all numbers for his team and playing according to the situation is perfect. The latest knock of 77 runs is a perfect testament to this.
His strike rate was a healthy 150. This wasn’t Rahul rebranding himself. It was more like the beginning of a new KL Rahul era in T20 cricket, which is delightful to see.
By: Tulika Agarwal
