Former India and KKR opener Aakash Chopra has raised a crucial question about KL Rahul’s batting position, just days ahead of the high-profile IPL 2025 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC). On his YouTube channel, Chopra addressed the ongoing debate surrounding Rahul’s role in the Delhi Capitals’ top order.
“Who’s going to open? That’s the biggest challenge. Where will KL Rahul go if Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk open? Rahul scored a fifty and was the player of the match against CSK. What after that? (sic)” asked Aakash Chopra.
KL Rahul, one of the most prolific openers in IPL since 2018, opened the innings for DC against Chennai Super Kings last Saturday and delivered a match-winning knock—77 off 51 balls. His performance helped Delhi end a 14-year drought against CSK in Chennai, registering their first win at Chepauk since 2010.
KL Rahul’s record as an opener
Interestingly, in his debut for Delhi Capitals, Rahul was slotted in at No. 5 and played a short but fiery cameo, scoring 15 off just 5 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
KL Rahul as an opener in IPL:
Rahul is one of only five openers to score over 4000 runs in IPL history, and his average of 48.97 is the best among all 61 openers with at least 500 runs in the tournament.
Most runs as an opener
Shikhar Dhawan – 6362 runs
Faf du Plessis – 3881 runs
Opening with KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis would instantly make Delhi Capitals the team with the most experienced opening pair in the IPL.
Delhi Capitals’ predicament
Opening with Rahul and du Plessis also pushes Jake Fraser-McGurk out of position. In fact, Fraser-McGurk may not even feature if DC opt for the senior opening pair. The team does have Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, and Donavon Ferreira as middle-order options, but none can offer the consistency of KL Rahul. Harry Brook’s last-minute withdrawal has further limited the team management’s choices. A top order with Fraser-McGurk and Rahul in the middle gives them the best of both worlds.
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