Mumbai Indians host Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai tonight. The two teams are locked in a virtual knockout battle. Mumbai Indians (14 points) will qualify for the playoffs if they beat Delhi Capitals (13 points). Delhi Capitals will hold the upper hand going into the 14th round of league matches if they emerge victorious.
The game may not even happen. The meteorological department has predicted and issued a yellow alert for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for the next four days with light to moderate rainfall. That’s one thing to deal with for the Mumbai Indians. However, they have another adversary to tackle on Wednesday — KL Rahul.
Players tend to do well in familiar circumstances. It could be the venue, it could be the opponent, or it could be a combination of the two. Virat Kohli loves to bat against the Chennai Super Kings. MS Dhoni has a phenomenal record against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Rohit Sharma used to do well whenever he came against Kolkata Knight Riders. Away from the superstardom, one man has managed to reach astronomical heights, right in the heart of India’s financial capital.
KL Rahul against Mumbai Indians in IPL
| KL Rahul in IPL | Innings | Runs | Avg | Strike Rate | 50s/100s | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Mumbai Indians | 19 | 965 | 74.2 | 135.2 | 6/3 | 103* |
KL Rahul’s average of 74.23 against Mumbai Indians is the best among all batters to have scored 500 runs against an opponent in IPL. There have been 118 instances of a player scoring 500 or more runs against an opponent and Rahul has the first and third best averages.
Best average against an opponent in IPL, min. 500 runs
KL Rahul vs MI: 74.23
Hardik Pandya vs RR: 72.28
No disrespect to Hardik Pandya. But maintaining a higher average as an opener (top-order batter) is a more difficult thing than doing it as a finisher, where the likelihood to remain unbeaten in an innings is higher.
Five star KL Rahul
KL Rahul has five IPL centuries, with the fifth coming last Sunday. Interestingly, Rahul remained unbeaten in all those knocks. In fact, all seven of his T20 centuries have been unbeaten ones.
100* (64) for Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians, 2019
132* (69) for Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2020
103* (60) for Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, 2022
103* (62) for Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, 2022
112* (65) for Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans, 2025
If you notice the list as a fan of Mumbai Indians, you will get a jolt. Rahul has some unique records against Mumbai Indians.
Rahul’s outstanding records against Mumbai Indians
1. Most centuries against an opponent – 3 by Rahul vs MI
2. Multiple centuries against an opponent in the same season
A. Virat Kohli – 2 vs Gujarat Lions in 2016
B. KL Rahul – 2 vs Mumbai Indians in 2022
3. Shortest span between two centuries against an opponent – 8 days
4. Multiple centuries against an opponent at a venue
A. Chris Gayle – 2 vs Punjab Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru
B. KL Rahul – 2 vs Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Love for Wankhede Stadium
| KL Rahul at the Wankhede Stadium | Innings | Runs | Avg | Strike Rate | 50s/100s | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 12 | 634 | 63.4 | 147.78 | 5/2 | 103* |
| vs Mumbai Indians | 6 | 400 | 100.0 | 149.25 | 2/2 | 103* |
As many as 16 batters have scored 500 or more runs in IPL at the Wankhede Stadium, and no one except Rahul has an average in excess of 50.
Can the Mumbai Indians cross the dual threat and come up on the right side of things?
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