KL Rahul portrayed a different version of himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 with Delhi Capitals, after making a switch from the Lucknow Super Giants. He scored 539 runs in 2025 at a brilliant strike-rate, but played only as a specialist, despite there being talks of Rahul as the potential captain for the side ahead of the season. However, he turned down the offer and eventually played under Axar Patel.
The main reason why he did not choose captaincy in the cash-rich tournament is being
under the firing line of not just the coaches or the dressing room, but also the team owners. Hinting at his visible infamous episode with LSG team owner Sanjeev Goenka, Rahul said that the owners are not meant to ask the questions about the on-field tactical and strategic applications.
"Captaincy in IPL feels like you are being questioned constantly, why opposition scored 200 and you scored 120, why they are getting more spin. Some of these questions you are never asked throughout the year, because the coaches know about this," KL Rahul said in a conversation alongside Jatin Sapru on Humans of Bombay.
Rahul was recently announced as one of the retained players for Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2026 season. He is once again expected to play the role of a specialist batter like he did last year, while batting at multiple positions, while also occasionally keeping the wickets. After a stellar season with the bat, the Karnataka cricketer will once again bank on his abilities, while also helping the team qualify for the playoffs.
Last year, DC finished fifth on the points table, narrowly missing out on a top-four finish. The Delhi-based franchise is among the teams playing the IPL since the inaugural edition, however, they are yet to taste glory. With a strong list of retained players and a pretty impressive purse to go with in the IPL 2026 Auction, DC will aim at building a title-winning combination.
