KL Rahul, a match after slamming the highest individual score by an Indian in the IPL (152* vs Punjab Kings), was out for 1 in Delhi Capitals’ game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In fact, none of the top six DC batters could score double-digit figures. DC were reduced to 13/6 in the Powerplay – the lowest in IPL history in that phase of the game – after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets each. DC used Sahil Parakh as an opener in the game. He faced Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first over and was bowled on the second ball. Former India star Dodda Ganesh noted that Rahul received a lot of flak after the decision to let Parakh face the first ball.
“Saw a couple of journalists’ tweets yesterday where they blamed KL Rahul for exposing the debutant from ball one. FYI guys, that kid is no tail-ender; he’s a proper batter and that’s why he was chosen to open. Can’t understand this toxicity around KL Rahul #IPL2026,” Dodda Ganesh wrote on X.
Saw a couple of journalists’ tweet yesterday where they blamed KL Rahul for exposing the debutant from ball one.
FYI guys, that kid is no tail ender; he’s a proper batter and that’s why he was chosen to open. Can’t understand this toxicity around KL Rahul #IPL2026
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) April 28, 2026
Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel put his team being bundled out for 75 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru down to “bad luck,” but acknowledged the psychological shadow cast by their previous match – where they failed to defend 264/2 against Punjab Kings – may have contributed to a hesitancy that proved fatal.
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, DC were bowled out for just 75 after losing six wickets in their first four overs, handing RCB a stunning nine-wicket victory. What also made the game a foregone conclusion was the international-level batters and two promising youngsters in DC surrendering meekly, without a Plan B to counter the swing and bounce generated by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood.
“I think because of what happened in the last game, I felt that even after doing so much as a team, you can win nine out of ten times. But after that, it felt like we could not defend back-to-back, so I feel there was some hesitation because of that. Other than that, I think it was bad luck.
“No batter could really settle down. It was not like someone got set. We lost wickets off one or two balls. I think we lost six wickets in 15-16 balls. I think it was bad luck. You have to forget this day and move on,” Axar said at the post-match press conference.
In DC’s 264/2 against PBKS, KL Rahul smashed a record-breaking 152 not out, while Nitish Rana hit 91. The dramatic reversal on Monday, where both Rahul and Rana were bounced out by Josh Hazlewood while the ball was hooping around, appeared to weigh on Axar’s assessment of the conditions.
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