Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul on Thursday became the first Indian batter to amass 600 or more runs in consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. He achieved the feat during match 53 of IPL 2021 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Rahul reached the 600-run mark this season following his 27th half-century in the tournament and sixth this season, which came from just 25 deliveries, and subsequently took the top spot in the race for the Orange Cap. Rahul had earlier amassed 670 runs in 14 games during IPL 2020, played at the UAE. Overall, he is the third batsman to achieve this feat after his teammate Chris Gayle, who had scored 608 runs in 12 games in 2011, 733 runs in 17 games in 2012, and 708 runs in 16 games in 2013, all for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad batter David Warner who scored 848 runs in 17 games in 2016, 641 runs in 14 games in 2017 and 692 runs in 12 games in 2019. Warner did not participate in the 2018 season owing to his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.
Rahul is also the third batter, after the aforementioned overseas players, to score 600 or more runs in three different IPL seasons. Rahul is also the first batter this season to reach the 600-run mark.
Talking about the game, Faf du Plessis' 76 guided Chennai to 134 for six. Chris Jordan and Arshdeep Singh were the pick of the bowlers picking two wickets each.
The match is Punjab's final game in IPL 2021 league season, and the team has already fallen out of contention in the race to the playoffs.
