KL Rahul tonks his fifth IPL century in DC vs GT clash, breaks Virat Kohli's big record to become fastest Indian to notch this historic feat

KL Rahul ran riot with the bat and cracked a scintillating century in the IPL 2025 clash between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley stadium on May 18.

KL Rahul roars with stunning century during DC vs GT IPL 2025 clash

With this he became the first right-handed batter to tonk century in the ongoing season. Not just this, Rahul also achieved a historic feat enroute to his superlative knock off 112 off 65 which was studded with 14 fours and four sixes. 

He shattered Virat Kohli's towering record to becoming the fastest Indian batsman to reach 8000 runs in T20 cricket. KL Rahul accomplished this feat in his 224th innings, thereby surpassing the previous record held by Virat Kohli, who had reached the landmark in 243 innings.

He now joins an elite group of Indian cricketers, becoming only the sixth player from the country to have crossed the 8000-run mark in the T20 format.

The accomplished wicketkeeper-batsman began his T20 career in 2013. Throughout his career in the format, he has registered six centuries and an impressive 68 scores of fifty runs or more.

Fastest to 8000 T20 runs among Indians

1) KL Rahul - 224 innings
2) Virat Kohli - 243 innings
3) Shikhar Dhawan - 277 innings
4) Suresh Raina - 284 innings
5) Suryakumar Yadav - 288 innings
6) Rohit Sharma - 294 innings

KL Rahul took mere 60 deliveries to reach his century, marking his seventh hundred in T20, which includes two centuries for India in T20 Internationals. Since his move from Lucknow Super Giants to Delhi Capitals, Rahul has been in exceptional form. The star batter appears to be thriving without the added pressure of captaincy at Delhi, having amassed 484 runs in 11 matches at an impressive average of 60 and a striking rate exceeding 140.

Upon the resumption of the IPL 2025 season, Rahul returned to his familiar role of opening the batting for DC as part of a strategic reshuffle by the former finalists. While he initially took a measured approach, and Delhi lost Faf du Plessis early in a relatively subdued powerplay, Rahul maintained his composure and capitalized on any loose deliveries. He shifted gears against Kagiso Rabada, hitting two sixes during the powerplay. Throughout his innings, Rahul showcased a range of breathtaking shots, including a remarkable pick-up shot against a back-of-a-length delivery from Prasidh Krishna in the 19th over of Delhi's innings. Rahul remained unbeaten at the end of his innings, having struck four sixes and 14 boundaries. He also forged a vital 48-run partnership in just 22 deliveries with Tristan Stubbs, contributing significantly to Delhi posting a competitive total of 199 runs in their allotted 20 overs.