Record-breaking KL Rahul bosses in Lucknow, leads DC to easy win over LSG

KL Rahul was the cornerstone of Delhi Capitals’ victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday. The win helped DC consolidate their second spot in the IPL 2025 points table – they are now tied with Gujarat Titans with 12 points from 8 matches but DC have an inferior net run rate.

This was a grudge match if there ever one was. This was the first time KL Rahul played against LSG after one of the most headlined splits in IPL history. Last year, Rahul had scored 520 runs for LSG but in the middle of the captain, he was publicly admonished by the team owner after a crushing defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Rahul had led LSG for 3 years but this was a break-up waiting to happen after the events of IPL 2024. This summer, Rahul has batted most aggressively since 2018 and has been the best batter for Delhi Capitals, his new home in the IPL.

On Tuesday, as Rahul returned to his old IPL home ground, he played the situation and not the occasion. He hit the winning runs in a chase of 160 and finished unbeaten on 57 off 42 balls but there was no over-the-top celebration. It was class all over: a KL Rahul innings marked by KL Rahul grace.

Rahul also became the fastest to 5000 runs in the IPL, breaking David Warner’s record. Warner had reached the milestone in 135 innings but Rahul got there in 130 innings. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shikhar Dhawan make the top six in the fastest to the 5000-run mark in the IPL.

The chase got its momentum thanks to Abhishek Porel who smashed his first fifty of the season and Axar Patel, who followed up a good bowling spell with an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls.

KL Rahul played the anchor’s role to perfection and saw the team through to their sixth win of the season without any drama.

There was plenty of drama, however, in the LSG inning,s which lost steam after a strong opening stand by Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh. They made a bizarre decision, sending Abdul Samad and Impact Player Ayush Badoni ahead of Rishabh Pant. Nicholas Pooran failed and David Miller struggled as LSG finished with a below-par total.

Pant tried to explain the rationale behind his batting position at No.7 against DC but conceded the team could not find its best combination.

“We sent someone to capitalise on. wicket like that, Miller came in, we got stuck on that wicket … we need to figure out our best combination,” the LSG captain told the host broadcaster after the match.