KL Rahul scored his 40th half-century as an opener against Chennai Super Kings in the IPl 2025. The India international joined Delhi Capitals for INR 14 crore in the mega-auction and has been terrific for them in the ongoing season. In the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rahul batted at number four and showed glimpses of his class but failed to establish his authority in the middle.
Against CSK, the keeper-batter was sent to open in the absence of Faf du Plessis. He took advantage of that and scored 77 runs off 51 deliveries. Courtesy of his brilliant knock, Delhi posted 183 runs on the board in the first innings. Abhishek Porel and Tristan Stubbs were sensational as well, playing an aggressive brand of cricket, which helped the team set the momentum.
Meanwhile, Rahul joined Virat Kohli in the list of most half-centuries as an opener in the IPL. David Warner tops the list with 60 half-centuries to his name in the cash-rich league while Shikhar Dhawan has scored 49. Rahul and Kohli are tied with 40 each at the moment.
On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings have never chased over 180 runs in IPL since 2019. They need a good start to keep the visitors under pressure. Notably, Mitchell Starc picked up a brilliant five-wicket haul in the previous match and he will be key for the team in the second innings. If it spins, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel will be vital.
CSK interestingly brought back Devon Conway in the playing XI. Rachin Ravindra was picked ahead of the New Zealand international and Rahul Tripathi was paired with him at the top. However, after a few flop shows, Tripathi was dropped for Conway. Gaikwad will bat at number three, while Shivam Dube is expected to be used as an Imapct Sub.