Delhi Capitals finished sixth on the points table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nRayudu highlighted how Rahul\u2019s matchups against spin specialist Sunil Narine turned into a statement of intent rather than a struggle. He described Rahul as \u201cpicking him well\u201d and added that the straight drives he played versus Narine were among the most impressive shots anyone had produced against Narine so far in the campaign.<\/p>\n
The former India batter also argued that Rahul does not shy away from the sport\u2019s biggest names with the bat. Rayudu cited Rahul\u2019s willingness to challenge bowlers such as Josh Hazlewood and Narine, calling him a \u201cclass player\u201d and insisting that Delhi needs to give him a squad capable of delivering silverware.<\/p>\n
In Rayudu\u2019s view, Rahul\u2019s value goes beyond one season because he has consistently performed for different teams. \u201cHe has been a fantastic batsman for any team that he has played for,\u201d Rayudu said, before adding that the trophy should come \u201csoon\u201d if Delhi can get the pieces right around him.<\/p>\n
Boucher on Rahul\u2019s spin assault<\/h3>\n
Mark Boucher, the former Mumbai Indians head coach, praised Rahul\u2019s influence in IPL 2026 as well, framing it around how he attacked during the middle overs. Boucher said Rahul\u2019s aggressive approach against Narine and Varun Chakravarthy helped set the tone for Delhi Capitals when the contest typically tightens.<\/p>\n
Boucher stressed that one of the biggest reasons Rahul matters to Delhi is that he consistently helps them get beyond the powerplay. He referenced how KKR\u2019s \u201cspin twins\u201d Narine and Chakravarthy often make life tough for other teams after the early overs, but suggested that Rahul\u2019s entry into the middle overs can still change the momentum of the game.<\/p>\n
He also noted that even when KKR\u2019s bowlers keep their economy under control, Rahul\u2019s role is to ensure they cannot fully impose their rhythm. Boucher said KKR\u2019s economy rates were still around eight to nine, but that Delhi benefited because Rahul set the acceleration for the overs in which he dominated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what one quality batsman [can do]… He is not good, he is a very good player,\u201d Boucher added, pointing to how dominance from a single batter can reshape the flow of matches.<\/p>\n
Why DC missed the playoffs again<\/h3>\n
With Delhi Capitals yet to make the playoffs, Boucher suggested the situation came down to \u201cwhat-ifs.\u201d He argued that the margin was thin\u2014if Delhi had secured two more wins, they would have been in the qualifying mix, and he felt the team looked capable in the way it conducted itself.<\/p>\n
Rayudu agreed with the idea that Delhi\u2019s campaign deserved better outcomes. He felt the Capitals had the ingredients to push for the title, especially because their bowling unit carried plenty of experience and match-winners.<\/p>\n
Rayudu pointed to a bowling group that included Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel as a core strength. He also said Delhi\u2019s batting line-up, with David Miller alongside KL Rahul and other contributors, had the balance needed to compete deep into the tournament.<\/p>\n
In Rayudu\u2019s assessment, Delhi should have been fighting for the top two positions and aiming to play the final. He then added that the issue had not been limited to this season, arguing that the franchise has frequently had strong squads but struggled to maintain the right momentum for long stretches.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomehow they have managed to just not do things right for the longest time,\u201d Rayudu said. He urged Delhi to reflect on the shortcomings, come back stronger, and\u2014while suggesting improvement\u2014avoid making wholesale changes to the \u201cbig ones\u201d in their squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ambati Rayudu believes KL Rahul has been a game-changing presence for every franchise he has played for in the IPL, and he feels Delhi Capitals…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n
Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"1Win India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-25T10:43:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1521\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"859\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Arjun Patel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Arjun Patel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Arjun Patel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e\"},\"headline\":\"Ambati Rayudu Backs KL Rahul to Lead DC to Trophy After Strong Form\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-25T10:43:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\"},\"wordCount\":711,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"IPL\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\",\"name\":\"Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-25T10:43:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e\"},\"description\":\"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp\",\"width\":1521,\"height\":859},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ambati Rayudu Backs KL Rahul to Lead DC to Trophy After Strong Form\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/\",\"name\":\"1Win India\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e\",\"name\":\"Arjun Patel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Arjun Patel\"},\"description\":\"Cricket analyst and sports writer with over 10 years of experience covering international and domestic matches. Specializes in match predictions, player performance analysis, and data-driven insights, with a strong focus on the Indian Premier League\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/1win.za.com\\\/ipl\\\/author\\\/arjunpatel\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader","description":"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader","og_description":"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.","og_url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form","og_site_name":"1Win India","article_published_time":"2026-05-25T10:43:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1521,"height":859,"url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Arjun Patel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Arjun Patel","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form"},"author":{"name":"Arjun Patel","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#\/schema\/person\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e"},"headline":"Ambati Rayudu Backs KL Rahul to Lead DC to Trophy After Strong Form","datePublished":"2026-05-25T10:43:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form"},"wordCount":711,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp","articleSection":["IPL"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form","name":"Rayudu Backs KL Rahul as DC IPL Trophy Leader","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-25T10:43:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#\/schema\/person\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e"},"description":"Ambati Rayudu urges Delhi Capitals to trust KL Rahul as their IPL trophy leader, citing his match-winning form and ability to dominate key phases.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/csk-star-lauds-rahul-fearlessly-f161.webp","width":1521,"height":859},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ambati-rayudu-backs-kl-rahul-to-lead-dc-to-trophy-after-strong-form#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ambati Rayudu Backs KL Rahul to Lead DC to Trophy After Strong Form"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/","name":"1Win India","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/#\/schema\/person\/9aac810730409fd3131f08f34023f33e","name":"Arjun Patel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3f44e79409232be03c88b435f2c295c5262fa91dfa5e23870d29241063bbaf5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Arjun Patel"},"description":"Cricket analyst and sports writer with over 10 years of experience covering international and domestic matches. Specializes in match predictions, player performance analysis, and data-driven insights, with a strong focus on the Indian Premier League","url":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/author\/arjunpatel"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}