KL Rahul became the first cricket player in history to break MS Dhoni’s all-time record
During the Lucknow Super Giants’ IPL 2024 encounter against the Chennai Super Kings on Friday, April 19, L Rahul proved unstoppable for his team. Rahul, 31, scored 82 runs in the 34th match of the 2024 Indian Premier League at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. With just two wickets lost, LSG was able to reach the goal of 177 runs in 19 overs.
The right-handed batsman, who is leading LSG in the IPL 2024, faced 53 balls during his time at the crease and smacked nine fours and three sixes. Rahul led the LSG in scoring and assisted them in defeating the MS Dhoni-led team by eight wickets.
Rahul surpassed an elite IPL record held by MS Dhoni with his fifty in the IPL 2024 match against CSK. As a dedicated wicketkeeper-batter in the IPL, he became the first cricket player in history to hit 25 fifty-plus runs, one more than Dhoni’s 24 fifties in the 257 matches he has played so far.
Rahul played his 125th IPL encounter against CSK. In 68 games, he has alternated between the wicketkeeper and the bat. 25 times in the 68 games, Rahul has scored more than 50 runs.
Most 50-plus runs while serving as the IPL’s designated wicketkeeper
25. KL Rahul
24-MS Dhoni
23 – Kock, Quinton
21. Dinesh Karthik
18 – Robin Uthappa
Rahul formerly played in the IPL for the Punjab Kings (now Kings XI Punjab), RCB, and SRH before joining LSG for Rs 17 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 major auctions.
In the CSK vs. LSG game, Rahul started the Super Giants’ innings in the run chase and combined with Quinton de Kock (54), adding 134 runs for the first wicket in 15 overs. Mustafizur Rahman removed the South African batsman, while Matheesha Pathirana removed Rahul from the game on the first delivery of the eighteenth over.
Rahul is currently ranked No. 4 among the top run scorers in the 2024 Indian Premier League after his 82-run performance on Friday. In seven games, he has amassed 286 runs. On the elite list, the only players who are ahead of him are Rohit Sharma (297), Virat Kohli (361), and Riyan Parag (318).
Earlier in the first inning, MS Dhoni’s late-inning heroics at the bat enabled CSK to put up a strong 176 runs. The former captain of India batted for the reigning champions at No. 8 and amassed 28 runs off of only nine balls without conceding a wicket. He hit two sixes and three fours when he was at the crease.
