Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) did not go all the way and secure the services of KL Rahul at the IPL 2025 mega auction, but against RCB on April 10 (Thursday), he showed why it might be looked back upon as a mistake as he crafted a flawless 93* to help Delhi Capitals (DC) complete a tricky chase of 164 on an uncharacteristically slow Chinnaswamy surface.
This was a game that saw nearly every batter struggle due to the slowness of the surface, but not Rahul, who, after scoring 29 off his first 29 balls, hammered 64 off his next 24 balls.
“This is my ground, my home, know this (ground) better than anyone else,” Rahul said after the game.
“On a wicket like this, I knew what my pockets were. If I wanted to hit a big six, I knew what pockets to target, and keeping gave me a feel for where other batters were dismissed and where they hit the sixes.”
Speaking about the surface, Rahul further added, “It was a slightly tricky wicket but what helped me was being behind the stumps for 20 overs, watching how the wicket played. The ball sat in the wicket but it was consistent throughout, it was one-paced. I knew what my shots are, wanted to get off to a good start, and then assess it accordingly.”
Rahul attempted a wild heave in the powerplay which nearly resulted in a wicket, but, post that, he carefully chose his shots and largely went for high percentage options, even while attacking.
He explained how he used practice sessions to pick which shots to execute on different tracks.
“I experiment in practice, get out a couple of times but it gives me a fair idea of the areas I can target - where I can take singles, where I can hit sixes,” he said.
“I don't keep batting for hours and hours and keep slogging. I do that sometimes but that is when I am not getting into a flow and rhythm. It is more about how I can master playing (on a particular pitch) and that becomes second-nature.”
Rahul has now scored 185 runs at an average of 92.50 and strike rate of 169.72 so far in IPL 2025.