‘His ability to bat anywhere separates him from others’- Coach Matthew Mott praises ‘classy’ KL Rahul

As they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their fourth IPL 2025 encounter at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, April 10, the Delhi Capitals, riding high on energy from three straight victories, will look to continue their winning streak.

In the previous match, KL Rahul, who filled in for Faf du Plessis, began the innings and led the Delhi Capitals to a resounding victory over the Chennai Super Kings with a quick 77 off 51 balls.

During the pregame press conference, Assistant Coach Matthew Mott remarked, “If you ask any batter, they’d want to open,” in reference to Rahul’s contributions and batting prowess. Let’s see what’s best for the squad, though. Several of our guys are able to go and open. However, I believe that KL’s (Rahul’s) ability to bat wherever sets him apart from many of the other players in the group. He plays well in class. The other day, he demonstrated that.

“The nice thing about the schedule so far is that we’ve had some really good breaks and he’s had a good break now,” Mott said when asked if Faf du Plessis would be available for tomorrow’s match. I believe the physiotherapists will evaluate him today in preparation for play. As far as the unaided eye is concerned, he appears to be moving much more more effectively. Therefore, considering the depth of our team, I believe we can adjust whether he is available or not.”

“We’re prepared with the depth that we have,” Mott stated in reference to the team’s depth in the batting lineup. The tendency of teams to score even when they lose wickets is one of the topics we have discussed extensively in this group. In the past, clubs viewed it as having back-end set hitters. The potential of impact players to enter games with high strike rates at the back end is, in my opinion, what is being demonstrated most frequently.

Captain Axar Patel also received a lot of praise from the assistant coach. “I discovered that he simply strikes a wonderful balance between life and cricket. He would frequently simply recap the group and ensure that all of the players are present. They are smiling, and they are enjoying themselves. He discusses that a lot. We know that everything is OK while you’re winning. However, I like to think he has the kind of personality where, even on terrible days, he will remain upbeat and the messages will be pretty similar.

“We also brought up KL Rahul and Faf. He has a wealth of experience at his disposal.

He doesn’t sound as though he wants to speak alone. In order to get the most out of those around him, he wants to take advantage of them,” he continued.

In contrast, the hosts, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, started the season with two consecutive victories, then lost, and then won their most recent game. With six points from three games, the Delhi Capitals are leading the standings, while they are now in third position. On Thursday, April 10, both teams will play each other at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.