5 min learnNew DelhiUp to date: Apr 25, 2026 10:31 PM IST
At 34, KL Rahul isn’t any spring rooster. He final performed T20 Internationals for India three-and-a-half years in the past. Within the interim, youthful batsmen have moved up within the T20 universe.
A 15-year-old opener, Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with a bat swing to die for, has been the flavour of the season. 24-year-old Priyansh Arya, taking part in for Punjab Kings on the prime of the order, has obtained excessive reward, and rightly so. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abhishek Sharma’s increasing wagon-wheel arch has made life tough for bowlers. There’s no stopping Sanju Samson in Chennai Tremendous Kings’ canary yellow when he will get going.
However none of them has the repertoire of pictures to match Rahul, who recorded the best particular person rating by an Indian batsman within the IPL on Saturday. Enjoying towards the Punjab Kings, Rahul scored an unbeaten 152 in simply 67 balls. With a lot being stated and written concerning the present T20 stars, it’s straightforward to miss how good Rahul, an all-format participant until lately, actually is.
A few weeks in the past, Rahul had performed a strong hand — 92 off 52 — when Delhi Capitals practically pulled off a chase of 211 towards Gujarat Titans. However on the finish of the sport, his teammate David Miller refused a single off the penultimate ball, and his failure to take the crew over the road turned the speaking level.
Climate replace: 𝙎𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙨! ☀️🌧️
🎥 KL Rahul introduced his personal storm en path to that document 152*(67) 🚀
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 25, 2026
On Saturday, towards the Punjab Kings, Rahul’s innings proved that good cricketing pictures performed with intent to hit boundaries might be as efficient as golf-swing slogs and one-dimensional stroke play that the newer technology has taken to. There ought to be no debate as to which is extra pleasing to the attention.
For purists and new-age followers
When Rahul is putting properly, there’s little that captains and bowlers can do as a result of it’s inconceivable to set a entice for somebody with a close to 360-degree hitting arc and no Achilles’ Heel. On flatter wickets within the IPL, even prayers as a final resort received’t work as a result of Rahul also can play unorthodox pictures when within the temper. Purists and new-age followers had been entertained by Rahul’s energy, timing and recreation sense.
Following Saturday’s knock, he turned solely the third batsman to make a 150-plus rating within the IPL after Chris Gayle’s 175 not out and Brendon McCullum, who lit up the inaugural evening of the primary season with an unbeaten 158. His sixth hundred within the IPL was his quickest, a tremendous strike price of 226.86 as he carried the bat by within the furnace-like warmth of the Delhi summer time.
No sort of supply or bowler put him in bother of any kind.
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The usage of his toes was great to look at. In consecutive balls from leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul stepped down the monitor with ballerina-like grace to seek out straight boundaries. Earlier, to a pitched-up leg-break, Rahul obtained according to the ball to hit into the long-on stands.
Rahul additionally fused textbook cricket pictures with a touch of unorthodox aptitude.
After beginning by driving quick bowler Xavier Bartlett by the purpose area, he powerfully flicked an away-going ball to the mid-on fence. However so excellent was his form that there was no threat concerned in placing away the ball, angling away from off-stump, to the on-side boundary. The opposite listing of nice strokes: A sq. drive to Marco Jansen, a flicked 4 to a yorker-length ball from Arshdeep Singh, a beautiful clear hit to a ball angling throughout, additionally from Arshdeep, into the stands for a six, a well-timed drive to a fullish large ball to lengthy off to carry up his century when dealing with Marko Jansen. If a bowler missed the size, Rahul was brutal. He made probably the most of three full tosses in a row from quick bowler Vijay Kumar Vyshak. The bouncer and the slower ball posed no bother to him on a very good batting floor. He used the higher minimize to dispatch a slower supply from Arshdeep for a 4 to cross 150.
The one time he appeared a contact ungainly was when he tried a reverse scoop when dealing with Arshdeep, however the edge additionally went for a 4. However this shot was an aberration in an innings filled with strokes that may make old-school coaches proud.
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“While you attempt to hit massive sixes or while you attempt to slog, the opposition appears like they’re in with an opportunity. When you’re taking part in correct cricket pictures and with advantage to the ball, getting boundaries and nonetheless with the ability to rating over 200 strike price, it places plenty of stress on them,” Rahul stated about Nitish Rana’s 91. He might properly have been speaking about his personal innings, a basic.
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