“It was only one year…”: KL Rahul on his worst IPL season

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KL Rahul, the talented wicketkeeper-batter, is one of those rare players who possess the adaptability to consistently excel regardless of the team, role, or management structure he is placed under. His career in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been defined by a constant readiness to embrace new challenges, a trait that has polished his skills through stints with five different franchises.

Rahul is recognized as one of the IPL’s elite run-scorers, establishing benchmarks for consistency that few can match. His remarkable achievement of scoring over 500 runs in seven IPL seasons, since debut in 2013, highlights his dependability at the top level.

Beyond consistency, Rahul is a record-setter. He holds the unique distinction of being the only player in IPL history to smash centuries for three different franchises. Furthermore, in 2024, he shattered a major milestone, becoming the fastest player in the league’s history to reach 5,000 career runs.

Despite his prolific run accumulation, Rahul has frequently found himself at the epicenter of criticism, primarily surrounding his strike rate. Fans and experts often chided his seemingly cautious approach, which many felt failed to ignite the performance of Punjab Kings (PBKS), leading to his eventual release after the 2021 season.

This period of scrutiny was followed by one of the most high-profile moves in IPL history when the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) selected Rahul as their first draft pick. Appointed captain, his move came with a massive price tag of ₹17 crore. Over his three years leading the LSG franchise, Rahul continued to deliver runs, accumulating more than 1,4o0 runs at an average of 40 plus, and guiding the team to a third-place finish in their debut 2022 season.

While his first season with LSG was successful, the following year presented a significant setback. Rahul recently revealed that the 2023 season was his “worst IPL.” This reflection was triggered by a mid-season injury during LSG’s match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he pulled up clutching his right leg while fielding.

Subsequent tests confirmed a significant tendon tear in his right thigh, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the tournament. This premature end to his season with LSG was a tough pill to swallow, though he later returned to form spectacularly by hitting a match-winning century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup later that year.

“It (the worst IPL season) was only one year. In 2022… oh yes, it was 2023 (after correcting himself).. a bad, bad year,” said Rahul as quoted by News24.

Rahul’s tenure with Lucknow took a contentious turn following a public fallout with franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka. After a crushing defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) that saw LSG humiliated, Goenka was captured on camera having an animated and one-sided altercation with the captain.

The tension culminated ahead of the IPL 2025 retentions, when both parties agreed to mutually part ways ahead of the mega auction.

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Now part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) squad, Rahul seems to be in a much healthier and more impactful space. The IPL 2025 season witnessed a significant renaissance in his T20 approach.

Batting primarily in the middle order for DC – a position that underscores his flexibility – Rahul amassed 539 runs in 13 matches. Crucially, he did so with an aggressively improved strike rate of 149+, marking his best performance in that metric over the last seven years.

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