KL Rahul (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: KL Rahul was all smiles after leading Delhi Capitals to an impressive seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in a crucial IPL 2026 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The win helped Delhi snap a three-game losing streak in emphatic fashion.After a disappointing outing where they were bowled out for just 75 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi bounced back strongly to complete the highest run chase in their IPL history.After Rajasthan posted a dismal 225/6, Delhi got off to a flying start thanks to a 110-run opening stand between Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33). Tristan Stubbs (18*) and Ashutosh Sharma (25*) ended the chase calmly with five balls to spare.“(Winning makes it that much sweeter) Yeah, of course it is. At the end of the day, we play sports to win. After so many years of playing, it’s all about the numbers. I mean, you’re happy to score runs and score these big runs and break records. But if you don’t win after the game, it’s not as much fun. (What did you have to do to make sure the clothes stayed in the right place next?) No, the locker room was always in a decent place. We try to keep the dressing room as balanced as possible,” said Rahul.Rahul was adjudged the man of the match.“And we realize the results didn’t go our way, but if you really have to dig deep and see if we’re making blunders or big mistakes, we didn’t. We had some honest conversations in the dressing room. Yes, we couldn’t capitalize on the big moments. Apart from the last game, every other game we’ve been in the competition, we’ve realized we would have done it if it had gone our way.” decent cricket but there were some areas where we really needed to be sharp and sharp and this competition and T20 cricket doesn’t give you second chances so it was important that we took our chances and when we were in front we really pushed and finished the game which we didn’t.“I’m really happy that we could get this win and we’re looking forward to stringing together a few more wins and that will give us more confidence. (How did you like the way it hit the bat as we went through your innings?) Yeah, I did. I was hoping to get some more balls in the power over. But the way Pathum batted, I didn’t have to look away. the way he batted got us right before the game. That’s what we expect from the powerhouse,” he added.“They’re a really good team that wins matches in the powerplay with bat and ball. With the ball as well, I think we’ve started really well with the bat. It gave us the start we needed in the 220 game. (Partnership with Pathum) Yes, we have. I mean, there’s not a lot of conversations that we have, but yes, we can remind ourselves of cricket as a powerplay and an aggressive game. powerplay So yeah, that’s what it’s about. And he’s batted really well this season, but he couldn’t break the 40s and I think his first IPL season will definitely give him a lot of confidence and hopefully he’ll build on that and continue to be the most satisfied this season. It’s been a couple of years that I’ve really been working on, so I’m happy that I’ve worked on it and I’m doing what’s required of the team and doing what modern T20 cricket requires,” said Rahul.With this win, Delhi Capitals claimed their fourth win of the season and moved to sixth place in the points table, while Rajasthan Royals remained fourth with six wins from 10 matches.
