KL Rahul breathes fire at Kevin Pietersen again, signals at DC mentor on '5000 IPL runs' announcement in dressing room
KL Rahul became the fastest to reach 5000 runs in IPL history, and the milestone was recognised in the DC dressing room following the side's win over LSG.
KL Rahul added another glittering milestone to his already illustrious IPL career, becoming the fastest batter to reach 5000 runs in the tournament's history. The Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batter played a composed, unbeaten knock of 57 off 42 deliveries to script a dominant eight-wicket win over his former franchise, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 160, Delhi lost Karun Nair early, but the pair of Rahul and Abishek Porel steadied the ship with a solid 69-run stand. While Porel registered his first fifty of the season – an elegant 51 off 36 balls – Rahul anchored the innings with minimal fuss.
After Porel's dismissal, Axar Patel joined hands with Rahul to complete the chase with an unbeaten 56-run partnership, sealing victory in just 17.5 overs.
Rahul’s landmark moment was celebrated in style in the dressing room following the victory. After the match, DC shared a video on social media where DC's head coach, Hemang Badani, announces Rahul reaching the 5000-run mark in IPL. While Rahul drew huge cheer from his teammates and the support staff, the batter signalled that he would only accept the award from Kevin Pietersen, keeping their ongoing banter alive.
“As someone said, there’s only one number one, KL Rahul,” Hemang Badani said during the presentation.
Also Read | KL Rahul points to his jersey, with same number as Sanjiv Goenka, after hitting fifty against LSG
Rahul and Pietersen have had light-hearted tussles throughout the ongoing IPL season. It began earlier this month when the DC batter reminded Pietersen about one of his old tweets, where the Englishman criticised Rahul for his slow knock. The duo laughed it off, but the banter continued when Rahul, again, took a dig at Pietersen's trip to Maldives in the middle of the season.
DC's easy win
Earlier in the match, LSG appeared to be in control after a fiery start. Openers Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh set the tone with a 51-run powerplay and an 87-run stand. Markram top-scored with 52 off 33 balls, while Marsh chipped in with 45. However, their innings unravelled quickly following a mid-innings collapse.
Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad failed to fire, and Ayush Badoni’s brisk 36 off 21 was not enough to provide the final flourish. David Miller remained unbeaten on 14, while captain Rishabh Pant, who came out to bat with just two deliveries remaining in the innings, was dismissed without adding to the score, as LSG posted 159/6.
Mukesh Kumar was the pick of the DC bowlers, scalping four wickets.
With this win, Delhi Capitals cemented their position in the top two, earning their sixth victory from eight matches to move to 12 points. The Rishabh Pant-led side will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.
