KL Rahul Becomes Fastest to Reach 5000 Runs in IPL 2025

Lucknow, April 22: KL Rahul achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the fastest batter to reach 5000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The wicket-keeper batter achieved this feat during the match between Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday, where Delhi won by eight wickets. Rahul reached the 5000-run mark in 130 innings, surpassing players like David Warner (135 innings), Virat Kohli (157 innings), AB de Villiers (161 innings), and Shikhar Dhawan (168 innings).

Facing his former team, which he captained in IPL 2024 before being released due to a fallout with the franchise owner, Rahul played a composed knock of 57 not out off 44 balls, guiding his team to a comfortable victory. He navigated through a tough spell against spinners like Aiden Markram, Digvesh Rathi, and Ravi Bishnoi. Rahul later turned the game in Delhi’s favor with a huge six over deep mid-wicket off Bishnoi and another six off Markram.

Rahul’s performance this season has been exceptional. He also recently became the fastest Indian to hit 200 IPL sixes and is now the third-fastest player overall to reach this milestone, behind only Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. Rahul’s strike rate this season stands at 155.67, his second-highest in 12 seasons. In the current season, he has scored 359 runs across eight innings, making him the backbone of his team. His best performance came against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he scored an unbeaten 93 runs to help Delhi win by six wickets.