sanjeev
khelja|11-04-2025
Delhi Capitals' winning momentum continued with a composed six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, but it was KL Rahul's rare burst of emotion that became the talk of the night.
The local boy, who anchored Delhi's fourth straight victory with a match-winning 93* off 53 balls, marked the moment with a fierce celebration - thumping his chest and smashing the ground with his bat - a gesture that screamed 'This is my ground'.
While the innings itself was a masterclass in calculated aggression and calm under pressure, the post-match scenes also caught the fans' attention.
The celebration from Rahul became a topic of discussion even among the players, as Australia and RCB batter Tim David was seen mimicking Rahul in an exchange with DC's Faf du Plessis.The two appeared to chat about Rahul's moment of fire, which had clearly left its mark beyond the boundary rope.
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KL Rahul was part of the Royal Challengers setup on two separate occasions (2013 and 2016) but was let go by the franchise. He then moved to Punjab Kings, where he spent four seasons, before leading the Lucknow Super Giants for three years. In 2024, Rahul's campaign with LSG hit a low when the team failed to make the playoffs, and a widely publicised moment of friction with franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka - following a heavy defeat to SRH - sparked a storm on social media.
Seen in this light, Rahul's emotionally charged celebration at the Chinnaswamy could well be a release built over years of mixed fortunes.
Rahul's brilliant knock
The right-hander's innings, laced with seven fours and six sixes, came after Delhi had stumbled early in their chase. At 58/4, RCB sensed a possible turnaround, but Rahul found support in Tristan Stubbs (38*), and the duo stitched a 111-run stand to snatch the game away from Bengaluru.
Rahul was also let off early in his knock - Rajat Patidar failed to hold onto a running catch when the batter was on just five. From there, Rahul didn't look back. He waited patiently against leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, scoring only when the opportunity presented itself, and then pounced on the pace of Josh Hazlewood, smashing him for a six straight down the ground and collecting 22 runs in a game-changing over.
Stubbs, too, showed poise, finding boundaries with ease off Bhuvneshwar Kumar as Delhi cruised to 169/4 in 17.5 overs.
The defeat marked RCB's second loss at home this season, although the franchise has shown promise on the road, winning all of its three away matches so far.