What is KL Rahul’s record vs RCB in the IPL?

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul will return to his home venue, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, when his side lock horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Tuesday. The wicketkeeper-batter was part of the RCB side across two different seasons in 2013 and 2016.

However, he was up against RCB in the 2014 and 2015 seasons while he was with SunRisers Hyderabad. Then later on he was part of the Kings XI Punjab (now renamed Punjab Kings) and now with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

KL Rahul has an imperious record against RCB in the IPL, highlighted by his exceptional unbeaten 132 runs off just 69 deliveries in the 2020 edition, when he was with the Punjab side. Apart from that knock, which remains the highest ever by a captain, he has amassed three fifties against the opposition.

Overall, Rahul has played 14 matches against RCB in his IPL career, scoring 628 runs at an average of 69.78 and a strike rate of 144.04. His dominant average against the three-time runner-up is only bettered by his record against the Mumbai Indians (MI), against whom he averages 86.70.

KL Rahul suffered an injury while fielding during his last meeting with RCB. He tried to bat while coming in at No.11 during the run chase, but could not score a single run as RCB won the low-scoring thriller by 18 runs at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

The injury eventually ruled him out of the second half of the 2023 season, leading to Krunal Pandya being appointed interim captain.

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KL Rahul likely to play as a pure batter in IPL 2024 clash against RCB

Rahul's last trip to the Chinnaswamy Stadium against RCB in 2023 was a forgettable one for him with the bat. He scored 18 runs off 20 deliveries during the mammoth run chase, but a half-century from Nicholas Pooran and heroics in the death overs led to a last-ball win by one wicket.

Rahul played as a pure batter in LSG's recent win over the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Lucknow, with Nicholas Pooran leading the side. The franchise is managing his workload as he has only returned from injury recently. If reports are to be believed, Rahul is likely to reprise his role as a pure batter yet again for the upcoming clash against RCB in Bengaluru.