After playing an important role in helping India win the 2025 Champions Trophy, KL Rahul will enter a new phase in his career during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will see a change of scenery and play for the Delhi Capitals (DC).

Rahul was purchased by the Delhi-based franchise for Rs. 14 crore in the 2025 mega auction after he was released by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after underwhelming three seasons at the franchise, where his strike rate came under scrutiny.

As concerns over his scoring continue in the rapidly evolving T20 format, Rahul is set to be moved out of the opening spot by DC ahead of the 2025 season. According to a report by the Times of India, the 32-year-old is set to bat in the middle order with Jake Fraser McGurk, Faf Du Plessis, and Abhishek Porel set to play in the top order. The report suggests that after Harry Brook's decision to withdraw from the league, DC wanted a right-handed batter in the middle order, and Rahul fits the bill.

The 2025 campaign will also mark the first time since 2019 that Rahul will not be captain of the franchise. The star Indian wicketkeeper batter led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2020 and 2021 before taking charge of the LSG from 2022 to 2024.

Rahul has been opening in the IPL since joining PBKS in 2018 but played in the middle order for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during their dream run to the final in 2016. Overall, Rahul has played 33 matches in his IPL career outside the opening match and scored 500 runs at an average of 29.41 and a strike rate of 117.92.

The last instance of Rahul not opening in an IPL game, except the clash against RCB in 2023, where he was injured and walked out at number 11, was in 2016.

The 2025 season is a vital one for Rahul as he not only has a point to prove in the league but also needs a strong showing to earn a comeback into the Indian T20I team, which is brimming with competition. The 32-year-old has not played for India in the shortest format since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final defeat against England in Adelaide.

It remains to be seen if Rahul will take up the wicket-keeping job for the franchise with Porel also an option. The ex-LSG and PBKS skipper was snubbed by DC for both the captaincy and vice-captaincy after the franchise named Axar Patel and Faf Du Plessis in the top job. Some reports suggested that he was offered the leadership role but decided against taking up the additional responsibility.

Over the last few months, Rahul has batted in multiple positions in other formats of the game. He was demoted to number six in India's ODI team ahead of the Champions Trophy. In Test cricket, he started the season at number six during the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand before being asked to open the batting in Australia. He also batted at number three during the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Overall, Rahul has made 4683 runs in 123 innings in his IPL career at an average of 45.46 with a strike-rate of 134.60. He has made four centuries and half-centuries in his career in the world's richest cricket league. He has scored more than 500 runs in each season since 2018 apart from 2023, when he missed the last six matches due to an injury.

Rahul is the only player in the league's history alongside Virat Kohli to score more than 600 runs in a season four times.

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