Also, six batters have scored over 4000 runs as an opener, and KL Rahul is one of them. Yet, the Delhi Capitals (DC) are thinking about moving him down the order. Seen as the confirmed opener, the Axar Patel-led side might tell the former Lucknow Super Giants captain to bat in the middle order.
KL Rahul won’t open for Delhi Capitals
According to the Times of India, the DC think tank has been thinking about making Rahul cover for the hole left by Harry Brook. The England batter had pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season and caused issues for the franchise. That’s why DC might tell Rahul to bat down the order.
Since Faf du Plessis has been named the vice-captain, he will open. Jake Fraser-McGurk might be the second opener, and then Abhishek Porel will be slotted at number three. This leaves Rahul playing in the middle order.
Should he actually bat in the middle order?
However, this move makes little to no sense. Rahul has virtually no track record of batting from 3 to 6. Apart from the fourth spot, Rahul hasn’t batted at any of these positions more than 10 times. Many question his ability to take down bowlers in the powerplay, and to think he’ll be able to do so in the middle overs seems like an issue.
We have seen when batters have to bat out of position, it causes them issues. Babar Azam at the ICC Champions Trophy might be the best example. For someone who is used to facing the new ball and has just 2 fielders out for the majority of his innings, Rahul will have to change everything about how he bats.
KL Rahul IPL stats, by position
| Batting No. | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | 99 | 4183 | 48.64 | 136.92 | 4 | 35 | 132* |
| 3 | 7 | 112 | 16.00 | 95.73 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
| 4 | 11 | 324 | 46.29 | 130.65 | 0 | 2 | 68* |
| 5 | 2 | 39 | 19.50 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| 6 | 3 | 25 | 25.00 | 147.06 | 0 | 0 | 17* |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
