KL Rahul might not be the finished T20 article yet

1st October, 2021, Dubai, KL Rahul has stitched together a well-compiled half-century and looks set to end the Punjab Kings’ recent rut against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The PBKS skipper hasn’t just marshaled his troops nicely but he has also been adept enough to shepherd a middle order that has been prone to the odd capitulation, especially while chasing.

When Venkatesh Iyer rocks up to bowl the final over, the Punjab Kings only need 5 runs off 6 balls, with Shahrukh Khan on strike. The all-rounder turns over the strike on the first ball itself and provides Rahul with the ideal platform to finish things off with a flourish.

Venkatesh Iyer ambles to the bowling crease and bowls a slower delivery that lands in what one would call the “slot” in white-ball cricket. Rahul’s eyes light up. After all, this is the moment of glory both he and the Punjab Kings have been craving for the past couple of weeks.

Then, all of a sudden, it breaks. And, it breaks in a manner that has become too frequent for Punjab’s liking. Not only does Rahul mistime his attempted big hit in a pressure situation, he lobs a catch straight to the sweeper at long off. In a trice, PBKS are back under pressure and they now need 4 runs off 4 balls, with a solitary set batter and another who has just entered the fray.

But, hang on, this has happened before, hasn’t it?

Against KKR in 2020, the Punjab Kings found themselves cruising to victory. On that occasion, too, Rahul had been the protagonist. Well, at least until the 19th over and he stayed long enough to become the villain.

Even this year, when clashing swords with the Rajasthan Royals, something similar happened. Rahul didn’t bat deep into that innings but it was perhaps his loose stroke and subsequent dismissal that triggered the collapse.

While it may still be a touch far-fetched to suggest that one isolated event in the 12th over would have such massive implications, it certainly becomes the case when talking about the gargantuan role Rahul performs for the Punjab Kings.

Over the past few seasons, there has been no denying that Rahul’s fortunes have dovetailed with that of PBKS. In simpler words, when Rahul performs, Punjab do well. And, when he doesn’t, they’ve often been consigned to a tale of mediocrity.

However, there is another spin to this particular story. The wicket-keeper batter has never really been out of form since his move to the Punjab Kings. In the four editions he has played, he has been among the top-five run getters in the Indian Premier League each time.

KL Rahul has plundered runs for fun for Punjab Kings (Pic Credits: Indian Express)

KL Rahul has scored plenty of runs for PBKS

Punjab, though, haven’t made the play-offs since 2018. Rahul, too hasn’t enjoyed a season (apart from 2018) where he has scored at a strike rate in excess of 140 – his best being the strike rate of 135.38 he managed in 2019. Prima facie, the temptation might be to label PBKS’ weak middle order as a potential reason for Rahul being so circumspect.

Yet, for a batter of Rahul’s caliber, he simply needs to be playing his natural game, taking the attack to the opposition and doing the most he can to win games for Punjab. As things stand, he is scoring a lot of runs but not all of those are translating into tangible victories.

It is quite revealing that 14 of the right-handed batter’s 28 fifty-plus scores in the IPL have ended in defeat. When speaking of his PBKS career alone, he has 10 fifty-plus scores (including a 100* and a 95*) that have seen his side lose the match. Again, it could be dependent on a lot of other factors but it is quite damning that Rahul – someone who has always been looked upon as a match-winner, has such a skewed record.

The more alarming bit, though, is that Rahul has regularly found himself in positions where his team’s hopes have relied on him. Since the 2018 installment of the IPL, the Punjab Kings have lost 12 games while chasing. Rahul, rather remarkably, averages 55.9 in these run-chases.

His strike rate, however, meanders around the 137.9 run-mark, indicating that the wicket-keeper has continued scoring runs but has often lacked the ability to deliver the decisive blow.

When batting first in defeats too, Rahul has a healthy average of 34.25. But, as is the case when batting second, his strike rate dwindles to 121.5 – again, another indicator that he has been getting runs but hasn’t had the kind of impact both he and PBKS desire.

This, by the way, has happened 17 times. Basically, PBKS have lost 29 fixtures out of the 54 they’ve played since 2018 and Rahul has almost always been a contributor in those encounters.

The counter argument to that could be that Rahul averages in excess of 100 and strikes at more than 145 in winning run-chases for Punjab. However, when considering that that has happened only 11 times (as opposed to 12 defeats), it illustrates that the wicket-keeper’s inability to land the knockout punch is a bit of a concern.

Having said that, there is no denying that Rahul is one of the most gifted T20 batters on the circuit and that he has all the ingredients to become a behemoth like Virat Kohli. For that to happen though, the PBKS captain might have to win more matches off his bat and might have to do so with more frequency than what is the case currently.

From that perspective, Rahul might not be the finished T20 article yet, although that notion could change pretty quickly, because, well, Rahul can be that good.

Perhaps, it might help the wicket-keeper if he starts finishing off matches and refrains from getting dismissed when push comes to shove. Shahrukh Khan saved the day against KKR but for a batter of KL Rahul’s class, he really shouldn’t be relying on others.