“For years, I’ve been branded a Test cricketer. It’s good for me to be up there, creating history and breaking records. Hope to continue this way.”
– Man of the Match KL Rahul on changing perceptions after slamming a 14-ball fifty

It seems almost ludicrous now that KL Rahul was once thought of as just a Test cricketer. Because he has since proven, he can be so much more.

But for every story, there is a beginning and some might reckon that Rahul’s moment of change was the mad knock against the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).

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Batting first, DD put on a decent 166/7 in their 20 overs. Decent because on most days that kind of total will give any team a fighting chance and that would be most days because on April 7, 2018, Rahul decided to come to the party in a hurry.

He started off sedately enough against Trent Boult – 0,2,0 but then a top-edged six off the fourth ball seemed to trigger something. The fourth and fifth balls were then hit for fours.

16 (6).

The second over saw Mohammed Shami being brought into the attack. It made no difference to Rahul though. He got strike on the third delivery, smoked it over fine leg for six and then followed it up with a four and a single.

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27 (9).

But the real madness was yet to follow. DD turned to the experienced Amit Mishra to stem the flow of runs. He just made it worse. The first five balls of the over were carted for 24 runs – 4, 6, 6, 4, 4.

51 (14).

It was the fastest fifty in IPL history and it is a record that still stands.

Fastest IPL fifties

POS PLAYER Against Match Date BF 6s 4s Runs
1 KL Rahul DC 08 April 2018 14 4 6 51
2  Yusuf Pathan SRH 24 May 2014 15 7 5 72
3  Sunil Narine RCB 07 May 2017 15 4 6 54
4  Suresh Raina KXIP 30 May 2014 16 6 12 87
5  Chris Gayle PWI 23 April 2013 17 17 13 175

The knock, in essense, seemed to really set Rahul free and he went on to have his best IPL season. He just seemed like a different player after this.

Not only did he put on the big runs (659) but he also got them at a great strike-rate (158.41). In the process, he signalled to the India selectors that he was clearly a batsman capable of playing more than just Test cricket.

KL Rahul's IPL numbers

Mat Runs Ave BF SR
Career 68 1998 41.62 1,450 137.79
2020 1 21 21.00 19 110.52
2019 14 593 53.90 438 135.38
2018 14 659 54.91 416 158.41
2016 14 397 44.11 271 146.49
2015 9 142 28.40 126 112.69
2014 11 166 20.75 164 101.21
2013 5 20 10.00 16 125.00

Watch KL Rahul’s incredible knock below: