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KL Rahul Joins Delhi Capitals, Brings Iconic 'Kantara' Celebration to IPL 2026

Indian batter KL Rahul has joined the Delhi Capitals franchise ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League season. The team welcomed him with a video referencing his famous 'Kantara' movie-inspired celebration from a previous match. Rahul is coming off an aggressive season where he scored 539 runs at a strike rate of nearly 150. He now aims to become the fifth batter in IPL history to reach the 6,000-run milestone.

Key Points: KL Rahul Joins Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026 Season

  • Joins Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026
  • Famous 'Kantara' celebration
  • Scored 539 runs last season
  • Aims for 6,000 IPL runs
  • Fifth highest run-getter milestone
2 min read

KL Rahul joins Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026

India batter KL Rahul joins Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026, bringing his aggressive form and famous 'Kantara' movie-inspired celebration.

KL Rahul joins Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026
"Ye tera ground hai, Rahul. Welcome back home. - Delhi Capitals"

New Delhi, March 25

India batter KL Rahul has joined Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League season.

DC posted the video of KL's arrival at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. On arriving at the pitch, KL pulled out his famous 'Kantara' movie celebration, which he had done during the match against eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in his home state of Karnataka.

After playing an aggressive 93* run knock in 53 balls in chase of 164 set by RCB, KL, usually a calm, collected and reserved figure in the dressing room, was seen unusually animated and aggressive, thumping his chest and pointing towards the ground and at his jersey as if saying that it (M Chinnaswamy Stadium) is his territory. He moved his bat on the pitch in a circular way and aggressively tapped it on the ground. Later, he revealed the celebration to be inspired by the 2022 Kannada movie, Kantara.

Making a reference to KL's words after that win, DC posted, "Ye tera ground hai, Rahul. Welcome back home."

In the last season, KL was at his most aggressive in years, scoring 539 runs in 13 matches at an average of 53.90, with a strike rate of almost 150, including a century and three fifties. He was DC's top run-getter and overall ninth-highest. He was also DC's leading six-hitter, with 21 maximums.

In 145 matches, KL has scored 5,222 runs in 136 innings of his IPL career, which has seen him play for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB, Punjab Kings and finally DC. These runs have come at an average of 46.21 and a strike rate of 136.02, including five centuries and 40 fifties. He was the Orange Cap winner back in the 2020 season with PBKS, scoring 670 runs in 14 innings with a century and five fifties.

He will be aiming to get as close as possible to the 6,000-run mark, if not touch it. If he reaches this milestone, he will be the fifth batter after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner to reach the milestone. Currently, he is the seventh-highest run-getter in the competition's history.

DC will start off against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 1 at Lucknow.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Love the Kantara celebration connection! It's so cool when players bring their local culture and passion onto the field. Shows how much representing Karnataka meant to him. Wishing him all the best in Delhi colours now. Hope he smashes that 6000-run mark soon! 💙
R
Rohit P
Solid player, no doubt. But honestly, I hope this move brings him some consistency. He has all the shots and the technique, but sometimes he goes into a shell. Last season's aggression was a welcome change. DC needs him to play freely and lead that middle order.
M
Michael C
As a neutral fan, it's great to see a player of his caliber joining a new franchise. The IPL is at its best when talent is distributed. His stats are phenomenal – average of 46 in T20 cricket is just insane. Will be interesting to see how he fits into DC's strategy.
S
Shreya B
The video of his arrival was so wholesome! "Welcome back home" from DC is a nice touch. He's played for so many teams, but hopefully he finds a long-term home here. His experience will be crucial for the younger players in the squad. All the best, KL! 🤞
K
Karthik V
Fifth highest run-getter milestone is within reach! Just needs 778 runs. With his current form and a full season, he can definitely do it. Joining the list with Kohli, Rohit, Dhawan, and Warner would be a huge achievement. The race for Orange Cap just got more exciting!

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