At 34, KL Rahul is no spring chicken. He last played T20 Internationals for India three-and-a-half years ago. In the interim, younger batsmen have moved up in the T20 universe.
A 15-year-old opener, Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with a bat swing to die for, has been the flavour of the season. 24-year-old Priyansh Arya, playing for Punjab Kings at the top of the order, has received high praise, and rightly so. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abhishek Sharma’s expanding wagon-wheel arch has made life difficult for bowlers. There’s no stopping Sanju Samson in Chennai Super Kings’ canary yellow when he gets going.
But none of them has the repertoire of shots to match Rahul, who recorded the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the IPL on Saturday. Playing against the Punjab Kings, Rahul scored an unbeaten 152 in just 67 balls. With so much being said and written about the current T20 stars, it is easy to overlook how good Rahul, an all-format player till recently, really is.
A couple of weeks ago, Rahul had played a solid hand — 92 off 52 — when Delhi Capitals nearly pulled off a chase of 211 against Gujarat Titans. But at the end of the game, his teammate David Miller refused a single off the penultimate ball, and his failure to take the team over the line became the talking point.
On Saturday, against the Punjab Kings, Rahul’s innings proved that good cricketing shots played with intent to hit boundaries can be as effective as golf-swing slogs and one-dimensional stroke play that the newer generation has taken to. There should be no debate as to which is more pleasing to the eye.
For purists and new-age fans
When Rahul is striking well, there is little that captains and bowlers can do because it’s impossible to set a trap for someone with a near 360-degree hitting arc and no Achilles’ Heel. On flatter wickets in the IPL, even prayers as a last resort won’t work because Rahul can also play unorthodox shots when in the mood. Purists and new-age fans were entertained by Rahul’s power, timing and game sense.
Following Saturday’s knock, he became only the third batsman to make a 150-plus score in the IPL after Chris Gayle’s 175 not out and Brendon McCullum, who lit up the inaugural night of the first season with an unbeaten 158. His sixth hundred in the IPL was his fastest, an amazing strike rate of 226.86 as he carried the bat through in the furnace-like heat of the Delhi summer.
No type of delivery or bowler put him in trouble of any sort.
The use of his feet was wonderful to watch. In consecutive balls from leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul stepped down the track with ballerina-like grace to find straight boundaries. Earlier, to a pitched-up leg-break, Rahul got in line with the ball to hit into the long-on stands.
Rahul also fused textbook cricket shots with a dash of unorthodox flair.
After starting by driving fast bowler Xavier Bartlett through the point region, he powerfully flicked an away-going ball to the mid-on fence. But so perfect was his shape that there was no risk involved in putting away the ball, angling away from off-stump, to the on-side boundary. The other list of fine strokes: A square drive to Marco Jansen, a flicked four to a yorker-length ball from Arshdeep Singh, a lovely clean hit to a ball angling across, also from Arshdeep, into the stands for a six, a well-timed drive to a fullish wide ball to long off to bring up his century when facing Marko Jansen. If a bowler missed the length, Rahul was brutal. He made the most of three full tosses in a row from fast bowler Vijay Kumar Vyshak. The bouncer and the slower ball posed no trouble to him on a good batting surface. He used the upper cut to dispatch a slower delivery from Arshdeep for a four to cross 150.
The only time he looked a touch ungainly was when he attempted a reverse scoop when facing Arshdeep, but the edge also went for a four. But this shot was an aberration in an innings full of strokes that would make old-school coaches proud.
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“When you try to hit big sixes or when you try to slog, the opposition feels like they are in with a chance. When you are playing proper cricket shots and with merit to the ball, getting boundaries and still being able to score over 200 strike rate, it puts a lot of pressure on them,” Rahul said about Nitish Rana’s 91. He may well have been talking about his own innings, a classic.
Nihal Koshie is an Associate Editor and sports writer at The Indian Express. He is best known for his in-depth reporting and investigative work that often explores the intersection of sports and social issues. He is also a key member of the sports desk, which is based out of The Indian Express' office in Noida.
Professional Background
Role: Associate Editor (Sports) at The Indian Express.
Key Achievements: He is a two-time winner of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. He won the RNG award for 'Sports Journalism' for 2019 for his exclusive interview and follow up stories with sprinter Dutee Chand, who became the first Indian athlete to say she was in a same-sex relationship. He won his second RNG award in the 'Investigative Reporting' for 2023 for a series of exclusive stories related to sexual harassment charges levelled against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by the country's top women wrestlers.
Expertise: While he covers major sports, he is particularly recognized for his extensive reporting on Athletics, investigative stories and long-form news features.
Recent Notable Topics & Articles (Late 2025)
Nihal Koshie’s recent work reflects a focus on investigative and human-interest stories
Recent investigative pieces: He recently wrote a profile of an Indian teenager serving a jail sentence in Kenya after being embroiled in a doping scandal while chasing "Olympic dreams."
Wrestling: He continues to track the political and social fallout of the Indian wrestling protests, including the recent public appearances of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the political career of wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Recent long-form features: The story of the rise of Kranti Gaud, the young fast bowler who was a key member of the ICC women's World Cup-winning team; The physics and science behind modern cricket bats
Podcast Presence
He is a guest and contributor to the "Game Time" podcast by The Indian Express, where he provides technical and social analysis of current sporting events.
Experience: 24+ years
Previous experience: Times of India (2001-2005), Daily News and Analysis (2005 to 2010)
Nihal joined The Indian Express in May, 2010
Social Media
X ( formerly Twitter) : @nkoshie
You can follow his latest work and full archive on his official author profile. ... Read More
