KL Rahul finds freedom and form at Delhi Capitals after fresh start

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 6 : KL Rahul has wasted no time making an impact in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 following his delayed entry due to paternity leave during Delhi Capitals' (DC) first two games. With scores of 15 off just 5 balls in his debut match and a match-winning 77 off 51 deliveries against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The attacking mindset marks a clear shift in his approach.
Since IPL 2019, Rahul hadn't crossed a strike rate of 138.8 in any season. His intent had particularly dipped in 2020 (129.34) and 2023 (113.22), even though he consistently scored between 520 and 670 runs in every full season except 2023, where he featured in only nine matches. The change of environment -- moving to DC and playing without the burden of captaincy, unlike his time with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) -- seems to have liberated him.
"I've worked really hard on my white-ball game the last year or so. Big shoutout to Abhishek Nayar. I've worked a lot with him ever since he's come into the Indian team," Rahul said in a chat with DC team mentor Kevin Pietersen on iplt20.com, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"We've spent hours and hours together talking about my white-ball game and how I can be better. We worked hours and hours together in Bombay and somewhere I have found the fun playing white-ball cricket," he added.
His confidence was evident in the recently concluded Champions Trophy as well, where India lifted the title. Rahul, playing the dual role of wicketkeeper and finisher, scored 140 runs in four innings without being dismissed in three of them, at a strike rate of 97.90, hitting five fours and five sixes.
In the current IPL season, Rahul has already struck eight boundaries and four sixes. If this trend continues, he's on track to comfortably surpass his 2024 tally of 45 fours and 19 sixes -- a season that ended in controversy. A tense on-field discussion with LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka drew headlines, and the franchise eventually chose not to retain him. Goenka later remarked that he wanted players who possessed a mindset to win.
"I think somewhere along the way I lost that fun of hitting boundaries and hitting sixes. I wanted to take the game deep, deep, deep and that somehow stuck in my head," Rahul told Pietersen.
"But now I have realised I need to go back... cricket's changed, and T20 cricket, especially, is only about hitting boundaries. The team that hits more boundaries and sixes ends up winning the game," he said.
"So back to enjoying my cricket. I am not thinking too much about the game, not thinking about taking it deep or none of that stuff. Just see [the] ball and try and be aggressive and put the pressure on the bowler and the opposition and just enjoy hitting boundaries," he added.