“This is my turf”: KL Rahul sends strong message after match-winning 93 against RCB

KL Rahul turned the Chinnaswamy Stadium into his personal theatre on Thursday night, playing the lead in a thrilling IPL 2025 clash between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The Karnataka-born batter smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 53 balls and scripted a dramatic win for DC, who chased down 164 with six wickets in hand.

But it was Rahul’s post-match celebration that truly stole the spotlight. After sealing the win with a six off Yash Dayal, Rahul took off his helmet, slammed it on the ground, drew a symbolic circle, thumped his chest, and pointed to the pitch — a gesture straight out of the cult Kannada film Kantara. “This is a special place for me. The celebration was from one of my favourite movies, Kantara. A tiny reminder that this turf is mine,” Rahul later said in a video released by the franchise.

The crowd at Chinnaswamy — traditionally loyal to RCB — acknowledged Rahul's homecoming with loud chants of “Rahul, Rahul,” even though he played for the opposition. Having represented RCB in the 2013 and 2016 seasons and playing most of his domestic cricket here, KL Rahul has an enviable record at this ground. In 20 T20s here, he has scored 544 runs at an average of 41.84 with a strike rate over 145. In IPL alone, he has 475 runs in 18 matches at an average of 43.18.

On the match front, DC opted to bowl first and made early inroads thanks to stellar spells from Kuldeep Yadav (2/17) and Vipraj Nigam (2/18), who restricted RCB to 163/7. Despite quickfire cameos from Phil Salt (37 off 17) and Tim David (37* off 20), RCB couldn’t build a big total. Virat Kohli, too, chipped in with 22 off 14.

DC were reeling at 58/4 before Rahul found an able partner in Tristan Stubbs. The duo added an unbeaten 111-run stand, stabilizing the innings and eventually sealing a memorable win. Stubbs supported brilliantly with 38* off 23 balls, but the night belonged to KL.

With this result, DC has now won four matches in a row and sits comfortably at second on the table. RCB, despite showing promise, has slipped to fourth after their second defeat in five matches. Rahul, who was named Player of the Match, now has 185 runs in three innings at an astonishing average of over 92 and a strike rate nearing 170 — easily one of the most impactful batters of the season so far.