IPL 2025: KL Rahul Beats Virat Kohli, Mohammad Rizwan To Huge T20 Feat During DC vs GT Clash

Delhi Capitals' star batter KL Rahul etched his name in the record books on Sunday, 18 May, as he became the fastest Indian to score 8,000 runs in T20 cricket.

The milestone came during a pivotal IPL 2025 clash against Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Rahul needed 33 runs heading into the game to reach the milestone, and he wasted no time. Opening the innings for DC, the stylish right-hander got to the landmark during the powerplay, taking just 224 innings to reach the figure - eclipsing the previous Indian record set by Virat Kohli, who took 243 innings.

Globally, Rahul is now the third-fastest batter to achieve this feat in T20s, trailing only West Indies legend Chris Gayle (213 innings) and Pakistan's Babar Azam (218 innings).

A Season to Remember

Rahul has hit the ground running in his debut IPL season for Delhi Capitals. Before this game, the 32-year-old had already amassed 422 runs in 11 matches, averaging over 50 with a strike rate of 142 - underlining his impact at the top of the order.

Promoted to open once again on Sunday, Rahul was tasked with leading DC's charge in a must-win game. After the early loss of Faf du Plessis, he steadied the innings and guided his team to 45 in the powerplay. He then launched an assault on Kagiso Rabada in the sixth over, smashing a pair of towering sixes that brought the crowd to its feet.

He went on to complete his half-century off 35 balls, anchoring Delhi's innings and proving why he remains one of the most reliable T20 batters in the world.

A Stellar Career in Numbers

Since making his T20 debut for Karnataka in 2013, Rahul has been a force across formats. In the IPL alone, he has scored over 5,000 runs at an impressive average of 45. He also represented India in 72 T20 Internationals, scoring 2,265 runs, though he hasn't featured for the national side since the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Despite missing out on India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2024, Rahul continues to make a compelling case for a return to the shortest format.

Fastest to 8,000 T20 Runs (by innings)

Chris Gayle - 213

Babar Azam - 218

KL Rahul - 224

Virat Kohli - 243

Mohammad Rizwan - 244

Rahul's latest feat further cements his status as one of the modern greats in the T20 arena, and with the IPL 2025 playoffs approaching, Delhi Capitals will be banking on their in-form opener to continue delivering on the big stage. At the time of writing this article, KL is currently batting at 92.