 "Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul celebrates after completing his half-century againsst Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow. AP")
Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul made his first appearance at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium on Tuesday since parting ways with the Lucknow Super Giants last year. And he celebrated the occasion with a patient half-century, collecting three sixes and as many fours to finish unbeaten on 57 off 42 balls, as the Capitals chased down the modest 160-run target set by the Super Giants with eight wickets and more than two overs to spare.
In the process, Rahul also become the latest batter to complete 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League . What’s more, he became the fastest batter to the milestone by getting there in just 130 innings, surpassing former Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner who needed 135 innings.
Rahul joins an elite club after his heroics on Lucknow homecoming
Rahul became the eighth batter to score 5,000 or more runs in the IPL and the sixth Indian. Virat Kohli remains on top of the list with 8,326 and is followed by Rohit Sharma (6,786) and Shikhar Dhawan (6,769) at the second and third spots.
Warner, who played two seasons for the Capitals after parting ways with SRH, is the only other batter to have scored 6,000-plus runs (6,565) in the IPL, while Suresh Raina (5,528), MS Dhoni (5,377) and AB de Villiers (5,162) are the other players in the IPL 5K club.
Rahul’s fifty was his third of the ongoing IPL season and his 40th overall in the league. Opener Abhishek Porel (51) also chipped in with a fifty while skipper Axar Patel smashed an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls as the Capitals completed a season double against the Super Giants.
Mukesh Kumar had starred with the ball earlier in the game, finishing with a haul of 4/33 that earned him the Player of the Match award as DC restricted LSG to 159/6 – their lowest total of the season so far – after opting to field.
Delhi and Lucknow earlier had faced off on 24 March in Visakhapatnam in what was the season-opening game for both teams.
LSG were firmly in control after setting a 210-run target and reducing the opposition to 65/5 when Vipraj Nigam’s blazing cameo of 39 off just 15 balls and Ashutosh Sharma’s unbeaten 66 off just 31 balls helped DC pull off a thrilling one-wicket win.