KL Rahul is one of the biggest names in the Indian Premier League. The right-handed classic batter started his IPL career in 2013 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad for the next two season, till 2015. He again joined RCB in IPL 2016 where he showed some spark, but an unfortunate shoulder injury ruled him out of the 2017's season. Rahul made his IPL comeback in 2018 after being acquired by Kings XI Punjab, and his prolific performance continued for the same franchise till 2022. However, with the inclusion of two new teams in IPL 2022-Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans-many prominent players left their previous franchises to join these teams. One of them was KL Rahul. Kannaur Lokesh Rahul moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022, and he was named as the captain of the franchise for that and the next two season, that is 2023 & 2024. However, Rahul shocked everyone by parting ways from the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction and later, he was roped in by Delhi Capitals for INR 14 crore and he was assumed to take the leadership role for the DC after the franchise parted ways with Rishabh Pant, who moved to LSG. However, recent developments suggest that KL Rahul has declined the captaincy role at Delhi Capitals as he wants to focus solely on his batting without any additional burden. It is now expected that Axar Patel is likely to captain Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025. Let's have a look at the batting stats of KL Rahul as a captain and as a player and find out what suits him the most. Also Read | KL Rahul to Miss Delhi Capitals Matches – Here’s Why KL Rahul's IPL Batting Performance: Captain vs Non-Captain KL Rahul's Batting Stats (as a captain) Image Source: BCCI Teams Span Matches Inns Runs HS Average SR 100s 50s 0 4s 6s KXIP (PBKS), LSG 2020-2024 64 64 2691 132* 48.92 131.97 3 21 3 223 105 KL Rahul took over the captaincy of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2020 and has since led an IPL team for five seasons (PBKS in 2020, 2021 and LSG in 2022, 2023, 2024). As a captain, KL Rahul has played 64 IPL matches, scoring 2,691 runs at an average of 48.92 and a strike rate of 131.97. While batting as a skipper, KL Rahul has scored three centuries, the highest being 132* which came against RCB in Dubai in his very second match as the captain. Also Read | England player exits IPL 2025, risks two-year ban KL Rahul's Batting Stats (not as a captain) Image Source: BCCI Teams Span Matches Inns Runs HS Average SR 100s 50s 0 4s 6s RCB, SRH, KXIP (PBKS), LSG 2013-2024 68 59 1992 100* 41.50 138.33 1 16 1 177 82 The first three seasons (IPL 2013, 2014, 2015) were extremely ordinary with the bat for KL Rahul as he could only manage 382 in 18 innings across three seasons. However, in 2016, while playing for RCB, Rahul scored 397 runs in 12 innings, and this was the season where he introduced himself in the tournament. He was not a part of IPL 2017 due to shoulder injury, but he made a strong return in 2018 for KXIP (now PBKS) and the batter scored 500+ runs in two consecutive seasons before being handed captaincy of PBKS. Rahul, as a non-captain, has scored 1,992 runs in the IPL in 59 innings at an average of 41.50 and a strike rate of 138.33. As a batter, Rahul has smashed one century, and 16 half-centuries and he is likely to add some good number to this tally in the upcoming season of IPL. Conclusion KL Rahul has been a prolific performer in the IPL, both as a captain and as a non-captain. However, when comparing his stats in both roles, Rahul averages higher as a captain, but his strike rate improves when he plays solely as a batter. His strike rate improves when he bats without additional pressure, which could be crucial for Delhi Capitals. Rahul's attacking intent at the top could give other batters the freedom to play their natural game.