KL Rahul slams fifty on IPL return: Key stats
What's the story
KL Rahul started his 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with a half-century, albeit in a losing cause. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper smashed a 44-ball 58 but couldn't guide them to a win. Nicholas Pooran was LSG's other half-centurion as they failed to chase 194 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Rahul made a terrific comeback after being ruled out of IPL 2023 midway.
Knock
A rescuing knock from Rahul
Opener Rahul cautiously held his end despite losing three wickets in the Powerplay. His opening partner Quinton de Kock departed without scoring. Rahul then shared pivotal stands with Deepak Hooda and Pooran, powering the Super Giants past 140. The LSG skipper then departed for 58 off 44 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes). It was his 34th half-century in the IPL.
Match
LSG lose by 20 runs
RR had a forgettable start after electing to bat. They lost Jos Buttler (13/1) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (49/2) in the Powerplay. Samson and Riyan Parag then stitched a 93-run stand. The former, alongside Dhruv Jurel, guided RR to 193/4. LSG lost de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ayush Badoni quite early. Rahul and Pooran brought LSG back, but they fell 20 runs short.
Career
Rahul races past 4,200 IPL runs
Rahul has been the lifeline of LSG's batting line-up. He starred for the Super Giants in their inaugural season (2022), guiding them to the playoffs. Rahul was then ruled out midway through the following season due to injury. He made a stellar comeback in the IPL 2024 opener, scoring his 34th fifty. The LSG skipper now has 4,221 runs from 119 games at 46.90.
Information
Third-most IPL runs against RR
During the match, Rahul became the third-highest run-scorer against RR in the IPL (637 runs). He overtook Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina, who smashed 630 runs at 27.39 against the Royals. Rahul is only behind Shikhar Dhawan (679) and AB de Villiers (652).