Is KL Rahul Underappreciated as a Player?

New Delhi, May 19 (NationPress) Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody highlighted that wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has not received the recognition he deserves for his remarkable talent after he scored an impressive unbeaten 112 against the Gujarat Titans, rescuing the Delhi Capitals from a potential batting collapse on Sunday.

Despite a rocky start for Delhi, who managed only 28 for 1 in the opening five overs, Rahul's extraordinary performance nearly propelled them to a 200-run total. Unfortunately, his efforts fell short as Sai Sudharsan (108 not out) and Shubman Gill (93 not out) effectively chased down the target, securing a playoff position for the Gujarat Titans.

Rahul reached his century in just 60 balls, finishing with an unbeaten 112 at an impressive strike rate of 172.30. In IPL 2025, he has been striking at 148.04, accumulating 493 runs in 12 innings, marking his best strike rate since IPL 2018 when he scored 659 runs in 14 matches at a rate of 158.41.

"I always find the criticism surrounding KL Rahul quite remarkable. I believe he is a far superior player than many give him credit for. The way I see this innings, it was an exceptional performance," Moody stated during an interview on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out.

"Ultimately, whether he is named Player of the Match will depend on the game's outcome. However, looking at the batting card, the reason they fell short of 220 runs was due to the other batsmen only striking at 150. On a batting-friendly surface, you need impactful innings.

"When you have someone anchoring the innings and building the total, other players must step up and make an impact—30 off ten balls can significantly elevate the score to 220. Instead of blaming a single player, we should focus on the collective effort," he added.

At the ten-over mark, the Delhi Capitals were at 81 for 1, with Rahul scoring 56 off 38 balls. However, during overs 15 to 18, Rahul faced only six deliveries while Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs took most of the strike. Moody noted that this shift affected Rahul's rhythm.

"The team had a chance to reach 220, but they didn’t capitalize on it. This is a team sport, not an individual one. Effective communication about who will take the next strike is crucial. The team needs to target boundaries early in the over to maximize scoring opportunities," Moody remarked.

"I believe they became slightly passive during that middle phase. Additionally, we must acknowledge that KL Rahul only faced four to six balls during that four-over stretch, which disrupted his momentum as well," Moody concluded.