KL Rahul led the Punjab Kings through a challenging period marked by near-misses and missed opportunities to qualify for the playoffs during his two seasons as captain from 2018 to 2021. Despite competitive attempts, the team finished in sixth place both seasons and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Rahul rose to prominence during this period, particularly in 2020 when he won the Orange Cap with 670 runs at an average of 55.83 and a strike rate of 129.34, including five fifties and a century.
Wasim Jaffer recently talked about Rahul’s demeanour while he was the Punjab Kings’ head coach from 2019 to 2021. Jaffer claims that Rahul is a quiet, reticent individual who only interacts with a select few pals.
According to Jaffer, KL Rahul hardly ever lost his temper or displayed symptoms of rage, either on or off the ground.
“KL Rahul is naturally quiet, reserved, and solitary. He primarily interacts with his close group of pals, so you wouldn’t see him out and about very often. On The Great Indian Cricket Show, Jaffer remarked, “It is extremely rare to see him lose his cool or get visibly angry on or off the pitch.”
However, every game seemed like a heartache when I was Punjab’s batting coach. Nearly every game was dragging to the last over, and we were losing games from winning situations. For the first time, I witnessed him become truly irate following one of those close defeats—a game we should have won with ease.
He didn’t say anything inappropriate, but it was clear that he was really upset about how poorly we had performed. “I only saw KL Rahul a little irate once,” he continued.
Close defeats were a defining feature of PBKS captaincy.
The anger stemmed from a pattern of close defeats that cost the Punjab Kings playoff spots. The team missed to achieve 165 against Kolkata Knight Riders by two runs in 2020 and lost to Delhi Capitals in a Super Over.
With six victories, eight defeats, and twelve points at the end of the season, Punjab was unable to qualify for the playoffs. The team lost by two runs against Rajasthan Royals and by six runs to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021, finishing with 12 points and missing out on the playoffs.
KL Rahul unique skill and post-PBKS career
During his captaincy, KL Rahul’s individual performances held up well despite the team’s general struggles. With 626 runs in 13 innings with six fifties in 2021, he remained a dependable run scorer for the squad. After scoring 2,548 runs in 55 games at an average of 56.62 and a strike rate of over 140, including two hundreds and 23 fifties, Rahul became the Punjab Kings’ greatest run scorer in IPL history.
After leaving the Punjab Kings, where he scored 1,410 runs in 38 innings and led the team to the playoffs in two seasons, KL Rahul joined the Lucknow Super Giants from 2022 to 2024. He has continued to play at a high level since joining the Delhi Capitals in 2025, scoring 1,132 runs at an average of 49.21 with a strike rate above 160, including two hundreds and eight fifties.
In 14 innings during the 2026 season, Rahul amassed 593 runs at an average of 45.61 with a strike rate of 174.41, including an undefeated 152 that was the first Indian score of 150 or more in IPL history.
