NEW DELHI: KL Rahul was all smiles after leading Delhi Capitals to a commanding seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in a crucial IPL 2026 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The victory helped Delhi snap a three-match losing streak in emphatic fashion.Coming off a disappointing outing where they were bowled out for just 75 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi bounced back strongly, completing the highest successful chase in their IPL history.After Rajasthan posted a daunting 225/6, Delhi got off to a flying start courtesy of a 110-run opening stand between Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33). The chase was then calmly finished by Tristan Stubbs (18*) and Ashutosh Sharma (25*) with five balls to spare.“(Winning makes it so much sweeter) Yeah, of course it does. At the end of the day, we play the sport to win. After playing for so many years, numbers do matter. I mean, you’re happy that you score runs and you score these big runs and break records. But if you don’t get the win after the game, it’s not as much fun. (What did you have to do to make sure that the dressing room stayed in the right place and you stayed in the right place for the next one?) No, the dressing room’s always been in a decent place. We try and keep that dressing room as balanced as possible,” Rahul said.Rahul was adjudged Player of the Match.“And we do realise that the results haven’t gone our way, but if you really have to dig deep and see if we’re doing blunders or if we’re doing some big mistakes, that wasn’t the case. We had some honest conversations in the dressing room. Yes, we couldn’t cash in on the big moments. Except the last game, every other game we were in the contest and one over if it went our way, we would have been on the winning side. So we do realise that we played some decent cricket, but there were some areas that we really needed to get sharp and crisp. And this competition and T20 cricket doesn’t allow you a second chance. So it was important that we take our chances and when we’re ahead, really press hard and finish the game, which we weren’t doing,” he said.“So really happy that we could get this win and we look forward to stringing a few more wins together and that will give us more confidence. (How much did you enjoy the way it was pinging off your bat as we go through your innings?) Yeah, I did. I was hoping I could get some more balls in the powerplay. But the way Pathum batted, there was not much for me to do. I just have to stand on the other side and watch how he was smoking the ball. The way he batted, put us right in front of the game. That’s what we expect of the powerplay. We tend to attack you early,” he added.“They’re a really good team that wins games in powerplay with bat and ball. With the ball as well, I think we started really well with the bat as well. It gave us the start that we needed in a 220 game. (Partnership with Pathum) Yeah, we do. I mean, there’s not a lot of conversations that we have, but yeah, just reminding each other to play proper cricket shots and be as aggressive as we can in the powerplay and use the powerplay. So yeah, that’s about it. And he’s batted really well this season in the games that he’s gotten, but he couldn’t get past those 40s, And I think, getting a 50 in the IPL, his first IPL season will definitely give him a lot of confidence and hopefully he builds from there and keep giving the team these starts. (Is there any particular aspect of your game that you’re most satisfied about this season?) The strike rate. I think it was a big talking point for a few years. So that’s something that I’ve really worked on. So I’m happy that I’ve worked on that and I’m doing what’s required for the team, number one, and doing what modern T20 cricket requires. And yeah, that’s something that’s pleasing for me,” Rahul said.With this win, Delhi Capitals registered their fourth victory of the season to move to sixth in the points table, while Rajasthan Royals remained fourth with six wins from 10 matches.
