Delhi Capitals have been advised to use KL Rahul as an opener and stop being unfair with Karun Nair in the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The Axar Patel-led side got out of jail against SunRisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium after the fixture got abandoned due to rain. Delhi Capitals managed just 133/7 in 20 overs, and the hosts, SunRisers, looked set to walk away with two points and derail Delhi’s playoff chances.
However, rain gods had other plans and a heavy downpour resulted in the second innings not getting underway and both teams sharing one point each. After the game, former India pacer Varun Aaron requested Delhi Capitals to use KL Rahul as an opener as it would give more stability to the lineup.
In IPL 2025, KL Rahul has been batting at No.4 while Delhi Capitals have used numerous options such as Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel and Karun Nair as openers. When Faf du Plessis got injured, Rahul opened in one match against Chennai Super Kings and he even played a match-winning knock.
However, Delhi Capitals did not use Rahul as an opener after that. Karun Nair hit an 89-run knock against Mumbai Indians while batting at No.3. However, since then, he has failed to get going in IPL 2025.
“If you want stability in this batting lineup, send KL Rahul to open. He’s going to solve all your problems,” Aaron said on ESPNCricinfo’s ‘TimeOut’.
“If they are going to play around with the openers, then might as well put in the most experienced opener as an opener. Because they have put in Karun Nair, I don’t think it’s fair on him,” he added.
‘If you’re making radical changes’
Varun Aaron also said that Delhi Capitals have been guilty of moving Karun Nair up and down the order. He reckons half of Delhi’s problems will be solved if KL Rahul is asked to come out as an opener alongside Faf du Plessis.
“They have really moved him up and down the order quite a lot. So if you are putting in, if you’re making radical changes a lot, put in the guys who are most suited to it and can take in the pressure,” said Aaron.
“We all know KL Rahul, how much he has moved up and down in the other teams,” he added.
Speaking of the match between SunRisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, the latter managed only 133/7. The score would have been all the more worse had Ashutosh Sharma and Tristan Stubbs not put on 66 runs for the seventh wicket.
Pat Cummins broke the back of Delhi’s batting after picking up the wickets of Karun Nair, Faf du Plessis and Abishek Porel. At one stage, Delhi were reeling at 29/5.
Delhi Capitals are currently in fifth place in the points table with 13 points from 11 matches. The franchise will next square off against Punjab Kings on Thursday, May 8, in Dharamsala.
