KL Rahul is starting a new chapter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he joins the Delhi Capitals for the 2025 season. He played a big role in helping India win the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, now he is facing changes – no longer a captain and not playing as an opener in the IPL.
The Delhi Capitals secured him for INR 14 crore during the mega auction after he was released from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). His time at LSG had ups and downs, with many fans concerned about his strike rate. Reports say that the Capitals will now use Rahul in the middle order to strengthen their lineup and add experience.
The batting order for Delhi Capitals will include players like Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, and Abhishek Porel at the top. Rahul will be positioned lower down the order, which is a new role for him. This change follows the decision of Harry Brook to withdraw from the league, which left the Capitals needing a strong right-handed batter.
This year is different for Rahul because it’s the first time since 2019 that he won’t be the captain of an IPL team. After leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) and LSG for three years, he is now focusing solely on batting while Axar Patel takes over as captain and Faf du Plessis as vice-captain. Although he was approached to be the captain again, Rahul decided to concentrate on his batting only.
Rahul does have some experience as a middle-order batter. When he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2016, he helped the team reach the final while playing there. Throughout his IPL journey, he has played 33 matches outside the top opening positions and scored 500 runs with an average of 29.41 and a strike rate of 117.92. His last time batting outside the top two spots, aside from an injury game in 2023, was back in 2016.
Rahul has also been flexible with his batting positions in other formats. In ODIs, he was placed at No. 6 during the Champions Trophy, and in Tests, he switched between the opening and middle order in recent series against teams like Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia.
His IPL stats are impressive, with 4,683 runs in 123 innings, averaging 45.46 and a strike rate of 134.60. He is one of only two players, alongside Virat Kohli, who has scored more than 600 runs in a single season four times.
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