Not long back it was assumed that Sanju Samson had sealed the wicketkeeper-batter’s slot in the India T20I side.

But KL Rahul has emerged as a strong contender for the role following his transformation in the shortest format during IPL 2025. The T20 World Cup is in India and Sri Lanka early next year and Rahul’s credentials can’t be ignored when the selectors sit down to choose the XV.

The Delhi Capitals opener now has 323 runs in seven matches at a strike-rate of 153.80 following his match-winning unbeaten 57 off 42 deliveries against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Tuesday. He is placed seventh in the list of the top run-getters in this edition and was his third half-century of the season.

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson said the standout feature in Rahul’s innings has been
his ability to switch gears when needed.

“KL Rahul just did what he does best. He didn’t need to take risks, just played a steady hand and picked his moments. What stands out is his ability to switch gears — he’s taken the game on throughout the tournament, but today (Tuesday) he was calm, composed, and calculated. That kind of flexibility gives Delhi Capitals so much depth,” Watson said during commentary.

What has really stood out in Rahul’s batting this season has been his ability to smash sixes at will. He took on the Super Giants’ spinners and hoicked three sixes on Tuesday.

The maturity in his batting has reflected right through. “KL Rahul is someone the India team also relies on,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo. “He understands his game very well. We have seen a different KL Rahul this season.”

He hasn’t carried any baggage from his experience at LSG last season. He has remained in his zone and started afresh, bringing about fluency into his batting.

Not having the burden of captaincy has also helped him bat freely and concentrate only on the task at hand. He has looked relaxed and batted with much more freedom.

Rahul’s consistency at No.3 has added a fresh dimension to the Capitals’ fortunes this season. They have so far won six of their eight matches.

Rahul will face competition from Samson since Rishabh Pant’s fortunes in the shortest format hasn’t been inspiring.

Samson has been bothered by injuries in IPL 2025 and unless he can come up with impressive scores in the remaining matches, Rahul is almost certain to make
a comeback.