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KL Rahul once again showed why he is one of the most consistent batters in Indian Premier League (IPL) history after achieving a special record during Delhi Capitals’ (DC) IPL 2026 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 8.
Even though Rahul could score only 23 runs during Delhi Capitals’ eight-wicket lose to Kolkata Knight Riders, the small knock was enough for him to enter the Indian Premier League record books in a historic way on Saturday.
KL Rahul enters IPL history books during DC vs KKR IPL 2026 clash
With this knock, KL Rahul became the first player in IPL history to score more than 1000 runs for three different franchises. Rahul’s achievement also caught the attention of former England captain Kevin Pietersen.
The two are known for their funny online banter and have often entertained fans with playful trolling on Instagram. Recently, Rahul had shared some pictures on social media, which sparked fun banter between them on social media.
The former Delhi Capitals mentor jokingly asked him to remove that photo, but Rahul fired back with a savage response, asking Pietersen to continue his viral “6-7” moment for which he was brutally trolled by the Instagram users.
Kevin Pietersen hails KL Rahul after historic IPL milestone
But after his latest IPL milestone, the former England star put the jokes aside and was full of praise after Rahul entered the IPL record books during Delhi Capitals’ clash against KKR. Rahul became the first cricketer in IPL history to score more than 1000 runs for three different franchises.
And Pietersen hailed the DC batter for his incredible consistency in the tournament. The stylish right-handed batter has now crossed the 1000-run mark for Delhi Capitals after already achieving the same milestone for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) earlier in his IPL career. After this feat, Pietersen posted on X: “KL is simply a STAR”
KL is simply a STAR https://t.co/cYGI8gL84G
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) May 9, 2026
The Indian batter scored 2548 runs for Punjab Kings and remains their highest run-scorer. Later, he became one of the key players for Lucknow Super Giants and made 1410 runs for the franchise between 2022 and 2024.
He also became the fastest player to score 1000 runs for DC, reaching the milestone in just 24 innings and breaking the previous record held by JP Duminy and Rishabh Pant.
KL Rahul shines amid Delhi Capitals’ struggles
Despite Delhi Capitals struggling in IPL 2026, Rahul has remained one of the team’s biggest positives with his consistent batting performances throughout the season. He is among the top contenders for the Orange Cap this season.
Rahul has already scored 468 runs in 11 matches at an impressive average of 46.80 and an aggressive strike rate of 180.00, with the highest score being 152*.
Venugopal Rao furious as DC’s IPL 2026 Playoff hopes almost ended
After Delhi’s another shocking defeat in the ongoing IPL 2026, DC’s Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao, has openly blamed the batters for the team’s poor performance following KKR’s hammering, which almost ended their playoff hopes.
Venugopal Rao said in the post-match press conference: “After getting a good start, after seven or eight overs, we were in a good position, one wicket or something down. Then later on, in the next six to seven overs, we couldn’t get a boundary. In this big beast of a tournament, you can’t miss chances. We need to win patches.”
Slamming the batting unit, Rao said, “When things fail, as a batting unit, you need to take responsibility. ‘I’ll do it, rather than somebody else doing it. ‘So, I think that is missing, I feel.”
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