KL Rahul admits ‘chasing milestone’ but with an MS Dhoni twist
Delhi Capitals batter KL Rahul recently stated that he is indeed chasing a milestone in his career. Over the years, Rahul has been criticised for his slow approach in the limited-overs formats, where he was accused of playing for his fifty or hundred rather than prioritising the needs of the team.
This eventually led to Rahul's ouster from the Indian T20I setup in 2022, and he hasn't played T20Is since, although he remains a first-choice player in both Tests and ODIs.
At the turn of the decade, Rahul turned over a new leaf in his IPL career by amassing 600 or more runs in three consecutive IPL seasons (2020, 2021, and 2022). This has ensured that he has been a steady riser and among the runs in his IPL career.
The only milestone of MS Dhoni I want to catch is- KL Rahul
Speaking to Star Sports on the eve of the Delhi Capitals' match against the Punjab Kings, Rahul was asked about his steady rise on the list of the highest run-getters in IPL history.
Rahul was the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL history with 5,427 runs and needed just 13 more to pass MS Dhoni's tally. Rahul would have then risen to No. 5 instead. KL Rahul was asked whether he kept track of such records or not in his mind. "No, not really. The only milestone I want to catch of MS Dhoni is winning 5 trophies," he answered.
MS Dhoni has been unable to add to this run tally in IPL 2026 as he has sat out of all 7 of CSK's matches while recovering from a calf strain. Rahul has made 205 runs in 6 matches with two fifties and a strike rate of 166.67
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KL Rahul IPL career
Rahul first made his IPL debut in 2014 as a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad. After two seasons with the Orange Army, he joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 when the team finished as runners-up.
In 2018, he went to the Punjab Kings, and in 2020, was appointed their skipper. That same year, he won the Orange Cap as well. Rahul captained Punjab in 2021 as well, but left that franchise the following year.
In 2022, Rahul joined the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants and became their first-ever captain. He remained the team's captain until 2024 before unceremoniously exiting the franchise.
Delhi Capitals next match
In 2025, he joined Delhi Capitals, the team he will be representing in 2026 as well. In all, KL Rahul has never been a part of a squad that has won the IPL. MS Dhoni was the captain of Chennai Super Kings in all five seasons when they won the trophy.
KL Rahul and DC have been hosting Punjab Kings on Saturday, April 25, in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Rahul is expected to play a pivotal role in Delhi's batting line-up and will be expected to take the gloves.
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