Delhi Capitals (DC) secured a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai ManSingh Stadium in Jaipur on May 2 with opener KL Rahul reaching a significant IPL milestone.
Rahul became the first Indian opener to hit 200 sixes in the history of the Indian Premier League during the high-scoring match. The right-handed batsman scored a fluent 75 off 40 balls, hitting five sixes and six fours to achieve the landmark.
In 112 matches as an opener, Rahul has scored 4,851 runs at an average of 50.01 and a strike rate of 141.38. His IPL record includes six centuries, 39 fifties, 433 boundaries, and 203 sixes.
He is the third opener overall to reach 200 sixes in the tournament, joining former players David Warner and Chris Gayle. Gayle leads with 326 sixes, while Warner has 210 sixes as an opener in IPL history.
A strong opening partnership of 110 runs between KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka, who scored 62 off 33 balls, laid the foundation for DC's record chase of 226. The target was finished by Tristan Stubbs (18 not out) and Ashutosh Sharma (25 not out) with five balls remaining.
Earlier, Riyan Parag top-scored for RR with 90 off 50 balls, his first fifty-plus score this season, while Donovan Ferreira contributed an unbeaten 47 off 14 deliveries as the team posted 225/6 after opting to bat. Parag stabilized the innings alongside Dhruv Jurel (42) following early wickets, before Mitchell Starc (3/40) took key wickets, including that of the RR captain on his return.
This successful chase of 226 is the highest in DC's IPL history and the second highest against RR, after Sunrisers Hyderabad chased 229 at the same ground earlier in the season. The victory marks DC's fourth win of the season, placing them sixth on the points table, while RR remains fourth with six wins from ten matches.