3 IPL 2025 Matches Where KL Rahul Could Be A Match Winner For DC

Bhargav Dixit

Delhi Capitals is KL Rahul's fifth IPL franchise. [Source: @sujeetsuman1991/X]Delhi Capitals is KL Rahul's fifth IPL franchise. [Source: @sujeetsuman1991/X]

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Into his 12th season, Indian Premier League 2025 will take KL Rahul back in time. With the auction before this season witnessing Rahul going under the hammer after seven years, he will be playing a full season without the additional burden of leadership for the first time since 2019.

That his wicket-keeping skills could also not be required at Delhi Capitals will provide Rahul with a rare opportunity of needing to focus only on his batting. With such immense freedom almost certain of welcoming him, below are three contests which Rahul is likely to win for DC:

3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (April 10 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium)

Delhi’s fourth match of the season, second away from home, has it in it to witness Rahul dominating against a team he has represented twice in the past. Slated to be played at his home ground in domestic cricket, readers must note that Rahul is the ninth-highest run-scorer against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.

Across 15 innings for four franchises, the right-handed batter has scored 648 runs at an average of 64.80 and a strike rate of 144. Among the top 15 run-scorers against RCB, no batter averages more than 60.

2. Rajasthan Royals (April 16 at Arun Jaitley Stadium)

In what will be Capitals’ second successive match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, they would expect the ICC Champions Trophy winner to play a pivotal role in a victory primarily because of his past record against Rajasthan Royals.

In 16 innings across a decade, Rahul has scored 713 runs at an average of 50.92 and a strike rate of 132.52 against this opposition.

For the unversed, this is the second-highest number of runs for the 32-year-old player against one particular IPL team. Additionally, it’s also the second-highest number of runs for all batters against RR. Among the top 10 run-scorers against them, Rahul is the only one to average more than 50.

1. Mumbai Indians (May 15 at Wankhede Stadium)

Although Delhi are scheduled to host Mumbai Indians on April 13, Rahul against MI at the Wankhede Stadium is one contest where one would want to bet on him.

For starters, Rahul is the highest run-scorer against this franchise – 950 runs at an average and strike rate of 79.16 and 135.52 respectively. Nine 50+ individual scores in the IPL are also the highest for a batter against the five-time champions.

Apart from these runs being his personal best against a franchise, another personal best lies in his IPL record at the Wankhede – 634 runs at an average and strike rate of 63.40 and 147.78 respectively. Among batters who have never played for Indians, Rahul’s 634 runs at this ground are the highest.

Speaking particularly of individual bowlers in the biggest T20 leagues across the globe, Rahul has scored most runs against Deepak Chahar (158 runs at a strike rate of 159.59) and Jasprit Bumrah (146 runs at a strike rate of 124.78) – both belonging to Mumbai. While Rahul is the second-highest run-scorer against Chahar, he is the highest against Bumrah in IPL history.