A sizzling 41-degree afternoon at the Arun Jaitley Stadium saw KL Rahul deliver a sensational, record-breaking knock as Delhi Capitals crushed Punjab Kings to post 264/2 on Saturday. Rahul struck an unbeaten 152, firing 16 fours and nine sixes off 67 balls at a spectacular strike rate of 226, leaving DC on track for a dominant total while PBKS struggled to contain him.
Rahul’s 152* sets IPL and T20 milestones
Rahul’s innings didn’t just power a big Delhi score—it rewrote key record books across the league and beyond. His unbeaten 152 is now the top individual score by an Indian batter in IPL history, eclipsing the previous benchmark set by other elite names. It is also the third-highest overall individual total in the tournament, sitting behind Chris Gayle’s 175* and Brendon McCullum’s 158*.
- Rahul became the third batter in IPL history to reach the 150-run mark.
- He is the second Indian batter—after Tilak Varma—to score 150-plus in men’s T20 cricket.
- His century arrived in 47 balls, the fastest IPL century of his career, surpassing his prior best of 56.
On the franchise front, the knock also carried extra significance. Rahul went past Rishabh Pant’s 128* to claim Delhi Capitals’ highest individual score. He further made history by becoming the first player in IPL to register multiple centuries for three separate franchises: Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Lucknow Super Giants.
Big partnerships and a brutal middle-to-death surge
Rahul was superbly supported by Nitish Rana, who struck 91 as the pair combined to build a massive 220-run stand in 95 deliveries. That partnership is now the second-highest in IPL history (any wicket), underlining how thoroughly DC took control after the early phase.
- Rahul and Rana put on 220 runs for the innings’ second-wicket stand, off 95 balls.
- DC’s scoring accelerated dramatically in the 11th to 20th overs, with 162 runs in that phase.
- The 11–20 over burst stands among the most explosive death-over performances typically seen in the league.
How Rahul’s numbers stack up across IPL history
Rahul’s consistency has remained one of the defining features of his IPL career, and the latest innings further underlined that. With 1,000-plus IPL runs, he maintains an average of 46.88 — the second-best mark among batters in that bracket, trailing only Sai Sudharsan, whose average is 47.16.
Quick record comparisons (context)
- Highest individual IPL innings by an Indian (Men’s IPL history): 152* — KL Rahul vs Punjab Kings, Delhi, 2026.
- Rahul’s 152* is also third-highest overall IPL individual score: behind 175* (Chris Gayle) and 158* (Brendon McCullum).
Highest individual scores by an Indian in Men’s T20s
- 152* — KL Rahul vs Punjab Kings, Delhi, 2026
- 151 — Tilak Varma vs Meghalaya, Rajkot, 2024
- 148 — Abhishek Sharma vs Bengal, Secunderabad, 2025
- 147 — Shreyas Iyer vs Sikkim, Indore, 2019
- 146* — Punit Bisht vs Mizoram, Chennai, 2021
Most runs in the IPL (batting totals list)
- 8989 — Virat Kohli
- 7183 — Rohit Sharma
- 6769 — Shikhar Dhawan
- 6565 — David Warner
- 5579 — KL Rahul
- 5528 — Suresh Raina
- 5439 — MS Dhoni
Most runs in overs 11–20 in an IPL innings
- 172/2 — RCB vs Gujarat Lions, Bengaluru, 2016
- 162/2 — PBKS vs CSK, Cuttack, 2014
- 162/1 — DC vs PBKS, Delhi, 2026
Highest individual scores in the IPL (top list)
- 175* — Chris Gayle (RCB) vs PWI, Bengaluru, 2013
- 158* — Brendon McCullum (KKR) vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2008
- 152* — KL Rahul (DC) vs PBKS, Delhi, 2026
- 141 — Abhishek Sharma (SRH) vs PBKS, Hyderabad, 2025
- 140* — Quinton de Kock (KKR) vs LSG, Mumbai DYP, 2022
Highest partnerships in the IPL (any wicket)
- 229 — AB de Villiers & Virat Kohli vs GL, Bengaluru, 2016
- 220 — KL Rahul & Nitish Rana vs PBKS, Delhi, 2026
- 215* — AB de Villiers & Virat Kohli vs MI, Mumbai WS, 2015
- 210* — KL Rahul & Quinton de Kock vs KKR, Mumbai DYP, 2022
- 210 — Sai Sudharsan & Shubman Gill vs CSK, Ahmedabad, 2024
Rahul joins an elite T20 group after Tilak Varma
Rahul also became only the second Indian to post a 150-plus score in men’s T20 cricket, following Tilak Varma. Varma previously made 151 for Hyderabad against Meghalaya in Rajkot during 2024/25. Rahul’s 152* places him alongside that elite tier, while his IPL numbers continue to set new landmarks for Indian batters in the format.
