The batter who turns 33 today has four IPL hundreds and 39 half-centuries under his belt.
From being hailed as India’s next big thing to facing relentless criticism, KL Rahul has been through it all. However, instead of showing aggression on the field, he has carried a calm demeanour and time and again, answered the critics with the willow. The Mangalore-born keeper-batter has been a part of five different franchises in his Indian Premier League (IPL) career since 2013. They are Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings (PBKS), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and his current team, Delhi Capitals (DC).
Amid breaching ample records, bagging Player of the Match awards, and the coveted Orange Cap, Rahul has amassed 4,921 runs in 128 innings. He’s been a consistent batter with an average of 45.99 while delivering some powerful knocks at a strike rate of 135.45. The batter who turns 33 today has four IPL hundreds and 39 half-centuries under his belt. He’s also transformed into a player who can bat at any position as per the team’s requirements – be it open the innings, anchor the team in the middle order, or be a finisher for clutch performances.
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Recently in IPL 2025, the DC boy stunned the crowd with his Kantara celebration at his home ground – M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, against his former team – RCB. His heroic knock of 93 not out off 53 balls was nothing short of a spectacle, followed by the echoes of “This is my ground.”
"𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙" 🔥pic.twitter.com/gKtmfoFvlN
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 10, 2025
The classy batter has played several impactful knocks. On his special day, let’s look at three such knocks in the tournament history.
Batting first against his former franchise, the PBKS opener took the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) ablaze with 14 fours and seven sixes. While wickets kept falling from the other side, KL Rahul remained unbeaten at 132 to propel his team to 206 in the first innings. He pulled off his now-famous celebration of ‘Shut the Noise’ to slam the critics commenting on his poor form. He scored the majority of the runs while his Karnataka teammates Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair played vital cameos.
In the second innings, Rahul executed his captaincy duties flawlessly. He skillfully rotated the spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin, both of whom scalped three wickets apiece. That day, it wasn’t just Rahul’s performance with the bat that stood out—his sharp instincts and tactical acumen on the field played a key role in Punjab’s dominant 97-run victory.
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Playing for LSG, Rahul’s third and fourth IPL centuries both came against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2022 season. He first smashed an unbeaten 103 off 60 balls at the Brabourne Stadium on April 16. He repeated the feat with another identical 103* against the same side at the Wankhede Stadium on April 24.
In the latter innings, KL Rahul hammered 12 fours and four sixes on his way to a brilliant century, while the next highest individual score from the team was just 22. As the rest of the lineup crumbled, Rahul stood tall like a rock, taking the total to 168. In the second innings, Krunal Pandya’s three-for helped seal Lucknow’s victory by 36 runs.
During the tail-end of the IPL 2021, the Punjab Kings were mostly out of contention for the Playoffs. However, they ended their tournament with an easy win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), courtesy of skipper Rahul. Apart from a strong 76 from Faf du Plessis, the Kings’ bowlers kept the rest of the CSK batting lineup quiet, limiting them to 134/6 at the DICS. The gloveman took two crucial catches, including that of the South African top-scorer.
In the second innings, Rahul was once again the backbone with a selfless 98 not out while only two batters from his team managed to cross the 10-run mark. The skipper slammed eight sixes and seven boundaries as he struck at 233.33. Rahul took his team over the line in 13 overs without adding another feather to his cap.
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