Cricket: KL Rahul breaks Virat Kohli's incredible T20 batting record
KL Rahul becomes fastest Indian to 8,000 T20 runs
The Delhi Capitals entered the 2025 Indian Premier League having made their intentions clear during the IPL mega auction last year when they brought in several high-profile players, including the likes of Mitchell Starc and KL Rahul.
DC splashed out a massive ₹14 crores for Rahul, who captained the Lucknow Super Giants last season, and the India international repaid the franchise's faith by ending the league phase as the team’s top run-scorer with 539 in just 13 games, averaging a shade over 53.
While the 33-year-old’s performances were not enough to get his team into the Playoffs, the 2025 campaign was a memorable one for him in a personal capacity, as it saw him etch his name in the history books thanks to his incredible batting.
Against the Gujarat Titans on May 18, Rahul blasted an unbeaten 112* in just 65 deliveries, which saw him surpass Virat Kohli to become the fastest Indian to 8,000 runs in T20 matches, doing so in just 224 innings, 19 fewer than King Kohli needed to achieve the feat.
Kohli and RCB are set to contest the crucial Qualifier 1 on Thursday, so be sure to check out our Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru prediction for our expert’s thoughts on how this match could pan out.
Unfortunately for Rahul, the match against the Titans ultimately ended in disappointment, as the Capitals were unable to break the stunning opening partnership of Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, who secured the victory for GT with all 10 wickets intact.
Still, DC’s wicket-keeper batsman’s achievement now stands as the third quickest globally, bettered only by West Indian master blaster Chris Gayle and Pakistan's elegant former skipper Babar Azam, who reached the same milestone in 213 and 218 innings respectively.
Additionally, Rahul’s ton against Gujarat saw him become the first player in the history of the IPL to score a century for three separate franchises, having done so with the Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in previous seasons.
Fastest Indian batsmen to 8,000 T20 runs
KL Rahul needed just 60 deliveries to bring up his century against the Gujarat Titans last week, and in doing so, also joined some exclusive company of fellow countrymen who have surpassed 8,000 T20 runs in under 300 innings. Here are the Indian batsmen who have reached this milestone the quickest.
- KL Rahul - 224 innings
- Virat Kohli - 243 innings
- Shikhar Dhawan - 277 innings
- Suresh Raina - 284 innings
- Suryakumar Yadav - 255 innings
- Rohit Sharma - 294 innings
Rahul will not travel with the Men in Blue for their Test tour in England next month, but he will certainly be in contention for a spot in the squad when India take on Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series in mid-August.
