3 reasons why KL Rahul should bat in the middle order in IPL 2023

KL Rahul played a match-winning knock of 64 runs yesterday in the second ODI of India's ongoing series against Sri Lanka. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter came out to bat at number five when the Men in Blue were down to 62/3 at 9.3 overs in a run-chase of 216 runs.

Rahul had a 24-run stand for the fourth wicket with Shreyas Iyer before the latter was trapped in front of his stumps by Kasun Rajitha. Vice-captain Hardik Pandya next joined Rahul in the middle. The two Indian batters stabilized the innings with a 75-run fifth-wicket partnership. Pandya lost his wicket at 36 runs, while Axar Patel departed after a 21-ball 21.

KL Rahul was still in the middle, but the other wickets remaining were tail-enders Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Umran Malik. The Men in Blue needed 25 runs for a win when Axar Patel got out. Rahul kept his nerve and had an unbeaten 28-run stand with Kuldeep for the seventh wicket as India won the game by four wickets.

Had KL Rahul not played a patient innings, India could have lost the game at the Eden Gardens. Speaking of Rahul's knock, the Indian wicket-keeper did a great job for the team at number five. Previously, he used to open the innings with Rohit Sharma in ODIs as well, but the team management now uses him as a middle-order batter.

Rahul is likely to play as an opener for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2023 as well, but here are three reasons why he should play in the middle order.

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#1 Lucknow Super Giants could use Manan Vohra and Quinton de Kock as openers

Manan Vohra is an underrated IPL star who can play match-winning knocks at the top of the order. He warmed the benches for the majority of the matches at the Lucknow Super Giants last season as KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock opened the innings.

Vohra played at number three against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the playoffs but could not convert his start into a big score. LSG have retained him for IPL 2023 as he is a special talent with a lot of experience.

Having done well as an opener for his previous IPL teams, Vohra could emerge as a match-winner for Lucknow if promoted to the number one or two position.

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#2 A big-hitter to take advantage of the powerplay?

The Lucknow Super Giants did not take the best advantage of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay overs of IPL 2022. They can end up with bigger totals if they play aggressively in the first six overs.

KL Rahul generally plays the role of an anchor, but if he allows a big-hitter like Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran or even Romario Shepherd to open the innings with Quinton de Kock, LSG could finish with bigger scores.

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#3 KL Rahul can revive his T20I career

India v England - ICC Men's T20 World Cup: Semi Final (Image: Getty)

KL Rahul's recent T20I performances have not been up to the mark, with many fans demanding the selectors drop him from the squad. While Rahul has not done well as an opener, he can be tried out as a middle-order batter or a finisher.

Rishabh Pant is unlikely to play any cricket for India in the near future, while Ravindra Jadeja has missed many matches due to injuries as well. Dinesh Karthik has been dropped from the team too. So, there is a vacancy in the middle order.

Another interesting statistic about Rahul's IPL career is that he has a batting strike rate of 147.06 at number six, while he has a batting average of 46.29 at number four. If Rahul is willing to try different things, he could revive his T20I career.