KL Rahul will open in IPL 2026, confirms Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel

Senior batter KL Rahul will open the innings for Delhi Capitals, revealed the team management ahead of the team's IPL opener. Last season, Delhi played with an array of opening combinations, resulting in inconsistent performances.

In Short

• Delhi Capitals are making big changes to their structure
• KL Rahul is set to get a permanent opening spot in DC
• Rahul joined the team last year after his exit from LSG

Delhi Capitals are set to give KL Rahul a permanent opening spot in the Indian Premier League 2026 season, the franchise confirmed in their pre-tournament press conference on Monday, March 23. Speaking ahead of their opening game, captain Axar Patel stressed that DC are looking to rectify their top-order issues this season, a sentiment that head coach Hemang Badani and Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao echoed.

"Last year, he (Rahul) was playing in the middle order because of our team combination. The players we had there were two foreign players, who could play in the top order, and, if you make foreign players play in the middle order, then teams use spin more," Axar said.

"So, because of this, we used KL Rahul in the middle order last year. He has always been good, in the opening slot, he has made a lot of runs. And if you get a good start in T20 cricket, then it becomes easier for the ones at the back. So, I think until now, we will keep him as an opener," he added.

Last season, Delhi used as many as seven opening combinations in the IPL. They began with Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, but the Australian’s poor form forced a rethink. Frequent chopping and changing led to instability, with the team making as many as 13 changes at the top.

This inconsistency affected their starts, often leaving the middle order with too much to do. Speaking ahead of their opening game against Lucknow Super Giants, Badani said that over the last two years, opening partnerships have become a game-changing factor in T20 cricket. Keeping that in mind, he confirmed that the team will persist with KL Rahul at the top this season.

Delhi Capitals' Opening Combinations in IPL 2025

• Faf du Plessis – Jake Fraser-McGurk
• Faf du Plessis – KL Rahul
• Abishek Porel – Karun Nair
• Abishek Porel – Jake Fraser-McGurk
• Faf du Plessis – Abishek Porel
• KL Rahul – Jake Fraser-McGurk
• Faf du Plessis – Karun Nair

KL Rahul's White-Ball Form

KL Rahul was released by Lucknow Super Giants after the conclusion of the IPL 2024 season. The franchise brought in Rishabh Pant for a record fee, while Delhi acquired Rahul to strengthen their batting line-up. Rahul started at the middle order, but was gradually pushed into the top three last season.

Over the last one and a half years, Rahul has worked on developing his power-hitting game. In IPL 2025, he scored 539 runs at a strike rate of 150 — his best since IPL 2022, when he scored over 600 runs, albeit at a lower strike rate.

Rahul’s improved power game is expected to give DC a more dynamic presence at the top. However, the team will still need to finalise his opening partner, with options including Pathum Nissanka, Abishek Porel and Prithvi Shaw.

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