KL Rahul has started the IPL 2025 with a bang for his new franchise, Delhi Capitals (DC), after missing the first two games while on paternity leave. His first-game 15 came off five balls, while his match-winning 77 came from 51 balls against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday.
Rahul's strike rate had not risen above strike rate of 138.8 since the IPL 2019 season. This included falls of 129.34 (2020) and 113.22 (2023), despite scoring between 520 and 670 runs in each season except 2023, when he played only nine games. Being relieved of captaincy (at Lucknow Super Giants) and joining DC as a player appears to have loosened him up.
"I've worked really hard on my white-ball game the last year or so. Big shoutout to Abhishek Nayar. I've worked a lot with him ever since he's come into the Indian team. We've spent hours and hours together talking about my white-ball game and how I can be better. We worked hours and hours together in Bombay, and somewhere I have found the fun playing white-ball cricket,” KL Rahul told Kevin Pietersen in a video on the IPL website.
Rahul’s new approach in white-ball cricket was seen in the ICC Champions Trophy, where as a designated finisher and keeper, he scored 140 runs in 5 matches. His strike rate was 97.90 and he hit five fours and five sixes. He has already hit eight fours and four sixes this IPL.
His last IPL season concluded with a much-discussed, very public conversation with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka. After the season, Goenka stated that he wants to keep players that "have a mindset to win". Rahul was not retained.
Rahul later stated that he wanted to be "loved, cared for, and respected" by his team, as well as to "start fresh." Rahul was also slammed for his statement where he said strike-rate is very overrated.
"I think somewhere along the way I lost that fun of hitting boundaries and hitting sixes. I wanted to take the game deep, deep, deep and that somehow stuck in my head. But now I have realised I need to go back… cricket's changed, and T20 cricket, especially, is only about hitting boundaries. The team that hits more boundaries and sixes ends up winning the game.
So, I'm back to enjoying my cricket. I am not thinking too much about the game, not thinking about taking it deep or none of that stuff. Just see [the] ball and try and be aggressive and put the pressure on the bowler and the opposition and just enjoy hitting boundaries,” KL Rahul said.
Here is the video:
