KL Rahul must act as an aggressor in the powerplay.
KL Rahul will be back at the top again for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2026. Last season, he started in the middle order before moving to the top again and played a few decent knocks. However, Rahul’s T20 credentials, especially as an opener, remain in doubt, given his previous record.
Last season, he showed improvements as an opener, but in the long run, the batter has been a culprit of playing negative-impact knocks. A major reason why Rahul’s opening record doesn’t inspire enough confidence is his slow starts, which often result in below-par powerplay scores. Between 2023 and 2024, he had a strike rate of just 114.01 and took as many as 6.48 deliveries for every boundary in the first 10 balls.
Hence, his powerplay strike rate and balls-per-boundary ratio languished at 123.12 and 5.64, respectively, in those two seasons. It improved marginally in 2025, where he struck at 126.72 and found the fence every 5.27 deliveries in the first 10 balls, but they were still lower than the tournament average. His main issues have come against spin at the start, against whom he has a strike rate of just 105.71 in the initial 10 balls since 2023.
Even while batting in the middle order, Rahul couldn’t start quickly against slow bowlers and took his time. If he doesn’t bat more proactively, teams will again target him with more spin overs right from the start and force him to play false shots in a bid to accelerate. With matches being played on flat wickets, Delhi Capitals can’t afford slow starts and underutilisation of the powerplay overs.
Delhi Capitals will likely slot KL Rahul with Pathum Nissanka at the top, especially after Ben Duckett’s absence. Now, Nissanka has similar issues to Rahul; he also takes his time against spin and can struggle to accelerate early on. He has improved massively since 2025, yet his strike rate against spinners in the first 10 balls is just 102.86, and his balls-per-boundary ratio remains 8.75.
ALSO READ:
Even in general, Nissanka’s issues against spin are well-documented, and even in his ongoing peak years, he loses a wicket every 23.50 and strikes at just 131.20. Additionally, the Sri Lankan batter plays around 31.56% of dot balls. The tracks in Sri Lanka have had a role, but he will require a shield against spinners, at least at the start of the innings.
That’s where KL Rahul becomes all the more crucial for DC. He has the skills to handle spin more effectively than Nissanka. All he needs is more intent and boundary strokes right from the start to avoid the innings becoming stagnant during the field restrictions.
For DC, Rahul remains the best bet since other options like Prithvi Shaw and Abishek Porel have similar issues. That’s where Ben Duckett would have been handy at the top, but they are forced to bank on Rahul to do that aggressive job in the powerplay. If his previous trend continues this time, Delhi Capitals will find themselves in a rut that will be arduous to overcome in IPL 2026.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
