KL Rahul finds freedom and form in white-ball cricket

After missing the initial matches of the IPL 2025 season due to paternity leave, Rahul made an immediate impact upon his return.

In his first game back, he scored a quickfire 15 off five balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, followed by a match-winning 77 off 51 balls against Chennai Super Kings - an approach that marks a significant shift from his earlier, more conservative approach.​

Rahul's power-packed performance in Chennai included six fours and three sixes. The 32-year-old anchored the innings while bringing in the boundaries at frequent intervals.

"I think somewhere along the way [in my career] I lost that fun of hitting boundaries and hitting sixes. I wanted to take the game deep, deep, deep and that [approach] somehow stuck in my head," Rahul said in an interview with Delhi Capitals mentor Kevin Pietersen on iplt20.com following the win over CSK.

Reflecting on his renewed mindset, Rahul credited his collaboration with India Men's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar for the transformation and emphasised the importance of enjoying the game and adapting to its evolving nature.

"I've worked really hard on my white-ball game the last year or so. [A] big shout out to Abhishek Nayar. We've spent hours together talking about my white-ball game and how I can be better," Rahul stated.

"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."​

Rahul had previously showcased a tendency to become caged in his batting approach. This showed during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 at home, where despite having a good tournament otherwise, the batter scored 66 off 107 balls in the final, which his side lost to Australia.

The returns that followed against South Africa and Sri Lanka in ODIs weren't encouraging, and the batter also failed to make it to the T20 World Cup squad for the 2024 tournament, having lost his place from the format since 2022.

A shift in approach was needed for the right-hand batter and it was evident during the Champions Trophy 2025, where Rahul played a pivotal role in India's triumph. Batting lower down the order at number six, he amassed 140 runs in four innings, remaining unbeaten in three.

His scores included 41*, 23, 42*, 34* with a strike rate of 97.90, and played a vital role in guiding India home against Australia and New Zealand in the semi-finals and finals respectively.

He expressed satisfaction with his contributions.

"It's really pleasing for me. The work that I'm putting into different roles requires a lot of preparation.

“I've been taught from a very early age by my coaches that cricket is a team game and whatever the team requires of you, you need to be able to accept that and find a way to put in performances for the team.

"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."