"They said they shouldn't think about where KL Rahul plays best" - Aakash Chopra questions DC ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs GT
Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned the Delhi Capitals (DC) for utilizing KL Rahul ineffectively in IPL 2025. He noted that the franchise didn't give the wicketkeeper-batter his best position in the batting order, and fit him in the only available spot after giving the rest of the players their ideal positions.
DC will host the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 60 of IPL 2025 in Delhi in the evening game on Sunday, May 18. With 13 points from 11 matches, Axar Patel and company are placed fifth on the points table, and might need to win all three of their remaining league games to qualify for the playoffs.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener criticized the Delhi Capitals for not batting Rahul at the top of the order in most IPL 2025 games.
"Delhi would be wondering whether they can correct the batting order, whether they can open with KL Rahul. When the auction happened and Delhi picked him, I was of the opinion that if they had taken Rahul, they should make him open and enjoy, as he is a 500 to 600-run bank. However, they said they shouldn't think about where KL Rahul plays best," he said (6:30).
Chopra pointed out that DC tried to give Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel and Karun Nair top-order batting positions, and left the No. 4 spot for Rahul.
"They said they should think about where the others play their best, and then give the remaining spot to KL Rahul. This was the thought process because they made Faf du Plessis the vice-captain. So they would make him open for sure. You already had Jake Fraser-McGurk, and you also want Abishek Porel and Karun Nair to play in the top four. So if all of them are going to play in the top three, Rahul will play at No. 4 only," he observed.
With 381 runs at a strike rate of 142.16 in 10 innings, KL Rahul is the Delhi Capitals' highest run-scorer in IPL 2025. The stylish batter mentioned at the start of the tournament that he believed he would be opening for DC, but was asked to bat in the middle order.
"I feel you should make him open" - Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul ahead of DC's IPL 2025 clash vs GT
![KL Rahul hasn't been at his best at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/5317e-17475490755412-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Delhi Capitals' move to bat KL Rahul at No. 4 hasn't yielded the desired results, especially in Delhi, and urged the franchise to make him open against the Gujarat Titans.
"KL Rahul playing at No. 4 hasn't worked. In fact, this ground hasn't been to his liking. The ball has gotten slightly stuck on the Delhi ground, and he hasn't scored runs there. He has scored runs away, where the pitches have been good, and he has gotten to bat slightly early. I feel you should make him open," he said (7:10).
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator wasn't convinced whether DC would be able to accommodate the Karnataka batter at the top of the order.
"However, will they be able to do that because they will have to make (Sediqullah) Atal bat somewhere? You also want to make Faf open, and what will you do with Porel and Karun? So they have themselves tied their hands a little," Chopra reasoned.
Aakash Chopra also urged the Delhi Capitals not to use Ashutosh Sharma as an impact sub and instead keep him in the starting XI. He opined that DC's entire bowling game plan should revolve around their three spinners (Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam) and that the franchise will feel Mitchell Starc's absence in the seam-bowling department.