Cheteshwar Pujara believes that KL Rahul has moved on from a bad IPL 2024 season at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and his new perspective is not only helping him thrive at his new IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals (DC), in IPL 2025, but will also make him a valuable asset to the Indian team.

Rahul smashed his third fifty of the season to lead Delhi Capitals to a dominant eight-wicket victory over his former outfit LSG in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Rahul's relationship with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka worsened last year. In a video that went viral on social media, Goenka was seen openly chastising the former Lucknow captain following a defeat. A few months later, the franchise dropped the 33-year-old before the mega auction.

At DC, the wicketkeeper batsman, one of the most consistent players in the IPL, has emerged as the season's best run scorer, with 323 runs in seven innings. He also became the fastest batter to reach 5000 runs in IPL.

"Just move on, don't carry any baggage from the past. And that's a good thing. KL is a mature player. Last couple of years, he's been batting well across formats. He doesn't want to think about the past and wants to enjoy his batting and be in his zone, rather than think about what went wrong when he was playing for the LSG team.

It's good to move on, which will also help him play well for DC and even for the Indian team. Because, lately, he is someone the India team also relies on, the way he's batting,” Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut.

"Even as a person, he looks a lot more mature now, he understands his game very well. We have seen a different KL Rahul this season. When he started (against LSG), he didn't look that (fluid), but still he picked it up," Pujara added.

Former England opener Nick Knight suggested that Rahul's lack of captaincy responsibility may be contributing to his freedom with the bat.

“Captaincy can do funny things to you - sometimes you thrive on it, sometimes it's a burden. Whether that's had any impact, or not being captain now, just being free and being able to play the match situation.

We've got this obsession in cricket that the best player has to be captain. That's not always the case, is it? I'm not saying that's the case with KL Rahul, or even Rishabh Pant, but he's batting with so much freedom and looks relaxed in the crease,” Knight said.

DC, who sit at the second spot in IPL 2025 points table, will face RCB in Delhi on Sunday, April 27.