KL Rahul Pro Max: Flexible and fearless, DC star lets bat do the talking

On Thursday, April 10 Rahul set his home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, ablaze with his finest strokeplay, scoring 93* (53) as he announced the arrival of his new avatar, which is unfazed, confident and has full faith in his abilities.

Rahul burst onto the scene back in 2014 as a youngster who had all the shots in his repertoire to succeed in all three formats of the game. His initial performances saw his ascent to stardom as he was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket. However, post-COVID the Karntaka batter had a major shift in his batting approach as he was chained by self-doubt that kept him under restraint.

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Rahul’s ‘timidity’ came under the limelight time and again as his teams found themselves on the wrong side of the results due to his inhibited approach. However, over the past few months, he has made a major shift in his mindset, which is evident in his belligerent strokeplay.

While Rahul of the old thought a gazillion times before launching the bowler into the stands in the first ten balls, his newer version isn’t afraid to take the aerial route first up and then set his eye-in to understand the nature of the surface. After his masterclass against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rahul delved deep into his new approach, revealing that he didn’t shy away from being aggressive first up as he scored two boundaries in his first six balls.

A special one pic.twitter.com/B4FmAxT9QR

— K L Rahul (@klrahul) April 10, 2025

“It was a slightly tricky wicket, but being behind the stumps for 20 overs helped me to know how the wicket played. The ball sat in the wicket a little bit but it was consistent, not two-paced. I wanted to get a good start, be aggressive initially and assess it from there, and that’s what I did,” said Rahul after receiving his Player of the Match award.

However, the innings wasn’t just about shots of authority, it was also a brilliant example of how one can reap the benefits after befriending the pitch in the initial phase. The trick to do that also requires long hours of arduous training, as revealed by Rahul in his post-match interview.

“Whenever I go into practice, whatever kind of wicket that is, I try to adapt to that wicket and see how I feel. If it’s a wicket that is turning, I’ll see where my shots are, what my shots are. I experiment in practice and get out a couple of times, but at least it’ll give me a fair idea of where I can target the areas for boundaries. I’ve always done that whenever I’ve walked in for training. It’s always like, how can I master playing on different wickets, and that becomes 2nd nature to you,” Rahul added.

After scoring 12 runs off his first seven balls, Rahul got his head down and began nudging the ball around for singles as DC were left reeling at 30/3. It’s said that fortune favours the brave and Rahul did have his fair share of luck as he built his innings. A difficult catch drop from Rajat Patidar at cover, a top edge against Hazlewood that went sailing for a six over third man and a fierce cut that landed short of deep point, Rahul’s innings had it all.

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However, it didn’t make him change his game plan with release shots coming at regular intervals in the middle of strike rotations. The carefully crafted innings left even former India cricketer Robin Uthappa in awe of Rahul, who hailed him for understanding the situation and accelerating at the right time.

“What was most amazing stand out for me today was the distinct batsmanship that he actually displayed when he was at the crease. He read the situation, read the conditions. He knew he had to bat deep; they were 3 wickets down. He got a chance, he went, ‘OK, I’m gonna dig myself into this wicket here. We stay here right to the end and just build partnerships and when the moment’s right, I’m gonna up the ante.’ He did exactly that,” Uthappa said on Star Sports.

Rahul brought up his half-century off 37 deliveries, having hit three boundaries and as many sixes in his innings as he took on Krunal Pandya and Liam Livingstone in the middle overs. After 14 overs, Delhi required 65 runs to win off 36 deliveries and were eight runs behind the DLS par score as a slight drizzle began at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

POV: It's his home ground 😎🏡#TATAIPL | #RCBvDC | @klrahul | @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/kV7utADWjU

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 10, 2025