Delhi Capitals’ experienced wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul is on the brink of surpassing a major milestone held by Virat Kohli, becoming the fastest Indian to reach 8,000 runs in T20 cricket. Rahul is just 33 runs shy of the landmark and could break the record in Delhi’s must-win clash against Gujarat Titans at their home ground on Sunday. If he succeeds, the 33-year-old will achieve the feat in only his 214th T20 innings, eclipsing Kohli’s record of 243 innings.
Rahul also has the opportunity to become the second-fastest player globally to reach the 8,000-run mark, overtaking Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who did it in 218 innings. However, the Gujarat Titans might have plans to halt his progress by deploying ace spinner Rashid Khan. The Afghan spinner has kept Rahul relatively quiet in previous encounters, conceding just 40 runs in 47 deliveries while dismissing him three times.
Meanwhile, DC skipper Axar Patel has emerged as a potent force against spin in IPL 2025. Boasting a strike rate of 192.85 against spin, he ranks second only to Nicholas Pooran (264) among players with at least 100 runs against spin this season.
In this crucial fixture that could seal Delhi Capitals’ playoff hopes, the hosts will look to capitalize on the Gujarat Titans’ vulnerable middle order. While the top trio of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler average 88 balls per innings collectively, batters from positions 4 to 11 have managed only 28 balls per innings on average. This gap in experience beyond the top order could work to Delhi’s advantage at the high-scoring Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans, Head-to-Head
Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans are tied 3-3 in head-to-head encounters overall. In Delhi, both teams have won once each, making it a 1-1 record at this venue.
Delhi Capitals Squad: Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mustafizur Rahman, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Sediqullah Atal, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari
Gujarat Titans Squad: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Nishant Sindhu, Gurnoor Brar, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Anuj Rawat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Karim Janat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Ishant Sharma
