KL Rahul’s batting intent and fielding skills were questioned by former India batsman Aakash Chopra after Delhi Capitals’ heavy defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 21. Rahul scored 37 off 23 balls at a strike of 160.87 as Delhi were left chasing a target of 243 runs.
SRH vs DC, IPL 2026: MAIN | SCORECARD
The DC opener started with some big shots but his innings quickly disappeared and he was second fiddle to Nitish Rana during the 86-run stand on Tuesday. DC struggled to find momentum in the last two powerplaysscored 59 in the first six with Rahul getting 22 off 13 balls.
With his knock, Rahul’s poor run in pursuit of 200-plus scores in the IPL continued as his team lost 16 of 20 games with the DC batsman scoring 622 runs in that time frame, with a strike rate just above 143 and an average of 31.1.
Speaking to JioStar after the match, Chopra asked how many attacking strokes Rahul had played in his innings. The former batsman said that if you fail to make the power play count, the team will lose the game.
“I think the question should be asked. He played 23 balls in the 37 runs he scored. How many strikes did he actually play in those 23 balls, because in my humble opinion, if you’re chasing 240 plus and you can’t account for the power play, then 99.5 percent of the time you’re going to lose the game.”
“Either way, it’s a mountain to climb, but the intent I felt was missing. Just the whole process of chasing mines as big as they were chasing it. I didn’t feel like they were giving it their all,” Chopra said.
The former India batsman wondered if Rahul was carrying an injury and slammed DC for not sending in their big hitters early.
“Maybe he had an injury. Maybe it felt like he was carrying a niggle. But again, this is a mistake that LSG made the other day, because once you go after it total, you don’t send your infantry and you don’t go nuclear, you still lose the game. So you gave your best? It’s not enough in my opinion,” Chopra said.
‘RAHUL IS THE DOUGH THAT STICKS’
Another question that was raised was Rahul’s glovework as he allowed Abhishek Sharma an extra life when he was 48 and looking to complete his fifty. The DC keeper failed to collect the ball properly allowing Abhishek to reach the landmark.
The SRH opener eventually scored 135 runs and allowed the home side to post a mammoth total.
Chopra said that Rahul, despite his white-ball success for India, is a batsman who keeps wickets and not the other way around. The former cricketer said that Rahul’s contribution to the batting will be nullified if he continues to make mistakes as a keeper.
“KL Rahul, yes, he leaves a lot for India even in the ODI set-up. But let’s be very honest. He is a batsman who behaves and not the other way around. Most of the keepers are, generally the keeper first and then they are the ones who contribute with the bat.”
Actually it can happen to anyone but when it’s KL Rahul you definitely ask how much it cost because as a keeper when you miss a couple sometimes it nullifies your contribution with the bat,” said Chopra.
DC next match against PBKS in Delhi on Saturday 25th April.
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Published on:
22 Apr 2026 03:00 IST
