KL Rahul's 34th birthday was a memorable one as he played a key role in Delhi Capitals (DC) defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Capitals ended a two-match losing run to register their third win of the season with a victory in a last-over thriller with one ball to spare while chasing 176.
The Capitals had found themselves in trouble in the chase as they were reduced to 16-3 in the third over, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissing Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair, and Sameer Rizvi. However, Rahul spearheaded their recovery with a knock of 57 runs in just 34 balls that included six boundaries and two sixes. He put up a 69-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs. The South African won the Player of the Match (POTM) award for an unbeaten 47-ball 60, while David Miller's 10-ball 22, including two sixes and a boundary in the last over, sealed the win for the Delhi-based team.
This is the second time in his career that Rahul has scored a half-century on his birthday in the IPL. He had previously done so in 2021 (29th birthday) while playing for Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Wankhede Stadium. Ironically, he was playing against DC on that occasion.
Rahul is thefirst playerto score a fifty in the IPL on multiple birthdays. Overall, only two other players have achieved the rare feat.
IPL Players To Score Half-Century On Birthday
This is the second year in a row that Rahul has been the star of the show when DC defeated RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. It is worth noting that the star batter hails from Bengaluru, and the ground is the home ground of his state team, Karnataka, for whom he has played since the start of his career.
Last year, Rahul hit an unbeaten 53-ball 93 at the venue. The Capitals had won the game by six wickets on the day too. Interestingly, Tristan Stubbs played a key role in the win that day too with an unbeaten 38 off 23 balls. Rahul and Stubbs had put up a 55-ball 111 partnership for the fifth wicket.
Rahul has made a strong start to the season despite being dismissed for 0 and 1 in the first two games. He has scored two half-centuries in the next three games. Earlier, he made 92 runs in 52 balls during DC's one-run defeat against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
The Capitals will next be seen in action on Tuesday (April 21) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Hyderabad in what will be a third away game in a row. They have three wins and two defeats so far this season and are fifth on the table.
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