KL Rahul entered the record books with a magnificent batting display against the Punjab Kings on Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The Delhi Capitals opener smashed an unbeaten 152 off just 67 balls, becoming the first Indian batter to score 150 or more in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
With this knock, he became only the third player to cross the 150-run mark in IPL history, joining Chris Gayle (175) and Brendon McCullum (158).
It was his sixth IPL century, drawing level with the long-standing record held by Chris Gayle. Moreover, KL Rahul became the first batter to score multiple IPL hundreds for three different teams, having registered two centuries each for PBKS, LSG and DC.
Given a lifeline on 18 by Shashank Singh, Rahul capitalised fully, stitching a massive 220-run second-wicket partnership with Nitish Rana. The stand became the second-highest in IPL history, behind the 229-run record set by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Rana complemented Rahul brilliantly, scoring a fluent 44-ball knock featuring 11 fours and four sixes. Rahul set the tone early with back-to-back boundaries, while Pathum Nissanka added a quick boundary before falling early.
Despite that breakthrough, Punjab’s bowlers struggled for control and were let down by sloppy fielding. Rahul and Rana dominated thereafter, guiding Delhi to 68 for one in the powerplay, their best of the season, and piling on 145 runs in the middle overs.
