Rahul scored 75 off 40 balls to help DC chase down a formidable 226-run target against RR.
Openers KL Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33) laid the foundation with a 110-run stand, with contributions from Nitish Rana (33 off 17) and a finishing act by Tristan Stubbs (18* off 11) and Ashutosh Sharma (25* off 15).
After receiving the Player-of-the-Match award, Rahul emphasized that while big runs and records are nice, they are not as fun without the win, referencing DC’s defeat against Punjab Kings (PKS) despite his big century earlier in the tournament.
“(Winning makes it so much sweeter) Yeah, of course it does. At the end of the day, we play the sport to win. After playing for so many years, numbers do matter. I mean, you're happy that you score runs and you score these big runs and break records. But if you don't get the W after the game, it's not as much fun,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation.
He mentioned that despite not having all results go their way, the team kept the dressing room balanced, had honest conversations, and focused on sharpening key areas.
“The dressing room's always been in a decent place. We try and keep that dressing room as balanced as possible. And we do realise that the results haven't gone our way, but if you really have to dig deep and see if we're doing blunders or if we're doing some big mistakes, that wasn't the case. We had some honest conversations in the dressing room,” Rahul stated.
“Yes, we couldn't cash in on the big moments. Except the last game, every other game we were in the contest and one over if it went our way, we would have been on the winning side. So we do realise that we played some decent cricket, but there were some areas that we really needed to get sharp and crisp. And this competition and T20 cricket doesn't allow you a second chance. So it was important that we take our chances and when we're ahead, really press hard and finish the game, which we weren't doing. So really happy that we could get this win and we look forward to stringing a few more wins together and that will give us more confidence,” he explained.
Rahul praised his opening partner, Nissanka, for his aggressive batting in the powerplay, which put them ahead in the chase.
“The way Pathum batted, there was not much for me to do. I just have to stand on the other side and watch how he was smoking the ball. The way he batted, put us right in front of the game. That's what we expect of the powerplay. We tend to attack you early. They're a really good team that wins games in powerplay with bat and ball. With the ball as well, I think we started really well with the bat as well. It gave us the start that we needed in a 220 game,” he said.
Reflecting on his partnership with Pathum, Rahul said they focus on playing proper cricket shots while maintaining high aggression in the powerplay.
“Yeah, we do. I mean, there's not a lot of conversations that we have, but yeah, just reminding each other to play proper cricket shots and be as aggressive as we can in the powerplay and use the powerplay. So yeah, that's about it. And he's batted really well this season in the games that he's gotten, but he couldn't get past those 40s, And I think, getting a 50 in the IPL, his first IPL season will definitely give him a lot of confidence and hopefully he builds from there and keep giving the team these starts,” he remarked.
Rahul expressed satisfaction with his improved strike rate, noting it as a specific area he worked on to meet the demands of modern T20 cricket.
“The strike rate. I think it was a big talking point for a few years. So that's something that I've really worked on. So I'm happy that I've worked on that and I'm doing what's required for the team, number one, and doing what modern T20 cricket requires. And yeah, that's something that's pleasing for me,” he concluded.