IPL 2020: 3 records KL Rahul broke enroute to his 69-ball 132
Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul went berserk at the Dubai International Stadium tonight as he decimated the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling attack. The Karnataka-based player scored 132 runs off of 69 deliveries, helping his side post a mammoth total of 206/3 on the board.
After winning the toss, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli elected to field first in Dubai. However, the Bangalore bowlers could not make much of an impact in the first innings.
All the four pace bowlers in the team had an economy rate of more than 9. Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar kept a check on the run flow as Kings XI Punjab could score only 38 runs off their six overs.
Rahul single-handedly destroyed the RCB bowling attack as he scored almost 65% of the team's total. He slammed 14 fours and seven towering maximums in his epic knock.
We look at three records that the right-handed batsman shattered in Dubai.
3. First IPL centurion in the UAE
IPL 2020 is taking place in the UAE because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no fans in the stadium, but these changes did not make any difference to KL Rahul as he owned the RCB bowlers at the Dubai International Stadium.
Rahul opened the innings for Punjab and completed his half-century in 36 deliveries. He took only 26 more balls to become the first player to score an IPL hundred in the UAE.
It is noteworthy that the Gulf nation hosted a few matches of the league in 2014, but no batsman could touch the three-figure mark before Rahul did.
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2. Highest individual score by a captain in the IPL
KL Rahul is playing only his second match as a captain in IPL 2020, and he already owns the record for the highest individual score by a captain in the tournament's history.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner held this record before tonight's game. The southpaw from Australia had played an innings of 126 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017. Among the Indian captains, Virat Kohli had the highest individual score as he had scored 113 runs against Kings XI Punjab in 2016.
1. KL Rahul's 132 is the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the tournament
Rishabh Pant had the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the IPL. The left-handed batsman scored an unbeaten 128* against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018.
However, KL Rahul broke his compatriot's record by scoring 132 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rahul now holds the fourth position when it comes to the highest individual scores in IPL history.
Rahul's teammate Chris Gayle is at the top of the leaderboard with 175*, while Brendon McCullum is behind him courtesy of his 158* in the first-ever IPL match.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's AB de Villiers is in third place with a highest score of 133*. The South African batsman will have to play an outstanding innings in Dubai tonight to ensure that RCB wins their second match in IPL 2020.