IPL 2026: 'KL Rahul has really worked on his strike rate,’ says Pujara

New Delhi, May 2 Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara heaped praise on Delhi Capitals (DC) opener KL Rahul for working hard and improving his strike rate in the shortest format, which is visible in his batting after he played a match-winning knock of 75 runs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday.

Rahul, who was criticized for his low scoring rate a couple of years ago, has now changed his mindset and significantly improved his strike rate over the past few seasons. Against RR, he played at a strike rate of 187.50 and hammered five sixes and six fours during his innings. According to Pujara, role clarity has also played a big role in Rahul's improvement, and now he looks more relaxed.

“KL Rahul has clearly worked on his strike rate, and that improvement has been visible over the last couple of seasons. The big change now is the clarity in his role, especially with him opening the batting, which gives him more control over the innings," Pujara told Jio Hotstar.

"He looks more relaxed and confident, and that’s reflected in his performances across formats. That confidence, combined with better intent, has elevated his overall T20 game,” he added.

After being awarded the player of the match, Rahul revealed that he has put in a lot of work to improve his game according to the modern T20 needs.

"The strike rate. I think it was a big talking point for a few years. So that's something that I've really worked on. So I'm happy that I've worked on that, and I'm doing what's required for the team, number one, and doing what modern T20 cricket requires. And yeah, that's something that's pleasing for me," he said in the post-match presentation.

Rahul has been in splendid form in the ongoing season. He has scored 433 runs in just 9 innings and currently also holds the orange cap. He has hammered on century and three half century in the IPL 2026.

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