India, April 11 -- KL Rahul announced himself in IPL 2025 with a sparkling 77 against Chennai Super Kings. He then quietly reminded DC mentor Kevin Pietersen that he had once criticised him for his strike rate in T20 cricket. In DC's next match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rahul blasted an unbeaten 93 off 53 balls to help DC win by six wickets. After hitting the match-winning runs, he marked his territory with the bat and announced it to the world that the Chinnaswamy Stadium was his home turf.

It has been a comeback of sorts for Rahul in T20 cricket. Dropped from India's T20I squad after the World Cup in 2022 and then heavily criticised for his slow strike rate for Lucknow Super Giants, Rahul expected RCB to bid for him in...