He represented the Delhi Capitals for the first time in IPL 2025.
Post the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the focus of all the teams is slowly shifting towards the white-ball formats. This applies especially for the teams in the subcontinent. All the nations in Asia are set to play two important T20I tournaments in the next seven months. The Asia Cup is scheduled to be played in the month of September in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in 2026. The latter will be played in India, and we can already sense the excitement in the air. To add to that, there is a lot of speculation around a Delhi Capitals (DC) star.
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One player who has drifted away from India’s T20I squad in recent times is Delhi Capitals player KL Rahul. The wicketkeeper-batter last featured in a T20I for India in 2022. This was the semi-final against England in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2022 in Adelaide. India has a brilliant run till the semi-finals, but were battered by England in the final, who went on to register a 10-wicket win. KL Rahul was one of India’s openers for the tournament and scored two fifties, one against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh each.
In a recent interview with Nasser Hussain, KL Rahul expressed his intentions to find his way back into the T20I squad. Upon being asked about whether he would like to claw his way back as a batter or wicketkeeper-batter, he said that most of his career has not given him a choice on that front. He also stated that he is currently happy with where he finds himself as a player, and would love to take one step at a time.
“If you see in half my career that’s gone, I don’t think I really had a choice [for the role I wanted]. I’ve never been someone who would sit with the selectors or the captain to demand a particular role. It has always been better for me to adapt to the role given to me. Yes I want to get back, and the world cup is in my mind”, said KL Rahul.
The moment one hears KL Rahul in T20Is, they often relate it to the term ‘strike-rate.’ But the numbers point at something else. Rahul arguably possesses one of the best techniques in the game currently, and a lot of credit goes to the way he adapts his game in. In the shortest format of the game, Rahul has featured in 72 matches till date, scoring 2265 runs at an average of almost 38.
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Moreover, his strike-rate reads 140 in the shortest format, which is good for an opening batter. He holds two hundreds and 22 fifties for India in T20Is. Rahul can score at a brisk rate as and when required. Most of his runs have come against the West Indies, and he also holds a ton on English soil.
If Rahul has to get into India’s T20I XI, it will be an uphill task for him. The team is currently stacked with a lot of talent, especially at the top of the order. Openers like Abhishek Sharma and Test captain Shubman Gill are cementing their place in the team. To add to Rahul’s woes, youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal are stepping up to make a strong case.
The middle-order will have skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson. If Rahul wants to compete for the wicketkeeper-batter role, it will put him in a direct competition with Rishabh Pant. But overall, it looks a distant possibility. The transition going around the Indian side might keep Rahul away from the squad. But he certainly has the capability to adjust to whichever position he is placed at. And that might just be the edge in favour of the Delhi Capitals star.
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