KL Rahul’s Century Sparks Delhi Surge: First Innings Highlights – IPL 2025 Thriller - Bringing You the Greatest Moments in Sports

Powerplay Sparks: KL’s Commanding Start

Delhi began their chase of 200 with intent and purpose, riding on the classy blade of KL Rahul, who found boundaries with elegance and timing. He got off the mark with a punchy square cut and followed it up with a delightful back-foot chop behind point. By the fifth over, Rahul had already lifted Rabada for two sixes, showcasing superb placement and timing.

4th Over: Siraj’s short ball was expertly pulled over mid-on by Rahul.

5th Over: Rabada’s pace was neutralized with Rahul lofting over long-off and slicing through cover-point for consecutive boundaries.

The early loss of Faf du Plessis for 5 (c Siraj b Arshad Khan) didn’t dent Delhi’s tempo, as Abishek Porel joined Rahul to take charge.

Middle Overs: Porel Explodes, Rahul Anchors

From overs 7 to 12, the Rahul-Porel partnership dismantled the bowling with aggression and ingenuity. Porel played fearlessly, hitting three sixes and a four, including:

A sublime flick over backward square off Rabada.
A top-edged four against Prasidh that beat Buttler and Arshad’s athletic attempt.
A straight six off a floaty delivery from Sai Kishore.

Porel’s blitz of 30 off 19 came to an end courtesy of Sai Kishore, who got him with a sharp delivery wide outside off, edging to Buttler behind the stumps.

Spin Challenge: Rahul Tackles Rashid, Kishore

KL Rahul remained unfazed by the spin duo of Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore. He countered Rashid’s leg-break with a slog sweep for four and brought up his IPL 2025 half-century with another sweep over square leg.

Rashid vs Rahul: A few lucky edges went past short third, but Rahul stayed positive.
Sai Kishore vs Rahul: Rahul struck three boundaries in one over – including a straight drive and a misfield-assisted boundary.

Even as Porel departed, Axar Patel joined the act and immediately struck a boundary over the bowler’s head and then smoked a six off Sai Kishore.

Slog Overs Carnage: Stubbs and Rahul Turn It On

The final five overs witnessed pure fireworks. With wickets in hand and Rahul in full flow, Delhi accelerated brutally.

Over 16.4: Rahul displayed genius with a sweep off Prasidh, treating him like a spinner.
Over 18.2: Rahul hit a monstrous six off the back foot.
Over 18.4: Rahul smashed a pull between deep square and mid-wicket to bring up his 5th IPL century. Helmet off, bat raised – Rahul soaked in the applause with grit and pride.

Meanwhile, Tristan Stubbs joined and provided the late explosion. A back-foot six over deep mid-wicket off Sai Kishore set the tone. In the 19th over, he fetched a wide short ball from Siraj and swivel-pulled it for a massive six.

DRS Drama & Wide Reviews: Final Over Theatrics

The last over was eventful:

19.1: Rahul tried a reverse ramp and got four off a back edge. Siraj appealed for LBW and forced a review—turned down.
19.2: Rahul drove a low full toss through extra cover for another four.
19.4: Stubbs slammed a deep square leg six.
20.0: The innings ended on a dot ball, but Delhi reviewed a potential wide – a mere formality, as it was well inside the lines.

Delhi finished with 199/3, narrowly missing the target, but not before putting on a show of batting brilliance.

KL Rahul’s Masterclass: 100 Reasons to Cheer

KL Rahul celebrates his 100th century with a match-winning knock for Delhi — Fire in his eyes, bat raised to the skies — KL Rahul blazes his 100th century

KL Rahul’s innings was the heartbeat of this chase. His unbeaten century was laced with innovation, composure, and clean hitting. His key shots:

Reverse sweep, straight drives, and flicked sixes.
Strike Rotation in the middle overs.
Seamless transition to power-hitting in the final stretch.

His score: 100+ (Not out)
Strike Rate: Over 170
Fours: 14, Sixes: 4

This was arguably one of Rahul’s finest IPL knocks under pressure.

Stubbs & Axar Provide Explosive Support

Tristan Stubbs: A blazing cameo with multiple sixes, especially against Siraj, showing his clean hitting prowess.
Axar Patel: Played a brilliant supporting role, scoring 25 off 16, including a six and two boundaries.

Their quick runs kept the asking rate in check and provided Rahul the platform to unleash.

The Ones That Got Away: Missed Chances & Errors

The fielding side had several moments they’d want back:

Rabada’s misfield gifted Rahul a boundary.
A few miscommunications between deep fielders led to additional runs.
Buttler’s DRS call on Porel was optimistic and cost them a review.

Delhi’s batting was certainly clinical, but the fielding support wasn’t up to the mark.

Bowling Breakdown: Mixed Bag

Prasidh Krishna: Took key wickets (Axar), but went for runs in death overs.

Sai Kishore: Was effective, picking up two wickets but leaked boundaries.
Siraj: Bowled with intent but was targeted by Stubbs and Rahul.
Rashid Khan: Spinners were treated with respect but still went for boundaries due to calculated risk-taking by Delhi batters.

Man of the Moment: KL Rahul

There’s no debate—KL Rahul earns the Man of the Match for his magnificent century under pressure. A true captain’s innings and one that had every shot in the book.

Stay locked in with BiggSports News for blazing-fast updates, exclusive analysis, and everything cricket—where every story hits the boundary!