The milestone I would love to match with MSD is his five IPL trophies: KL Rahul
Delhi Capitals opener KL Rahul has made it clear that personal milestones count for little without titles, saying his biggest ambition remains matching MS Dhoni’s haul of five IPL trophies even as he continues to scale the run charts in the league.
Rahul, who recently went past Dhoni on the league’s all-time run-scorers list, downplayed the achievement and reiterated his team-first approach.“I didn’t even realise I had gone past Mahi bhai. Personal milestones are good. They reassure me that I am on the right track. But what would truly make me happy is winning as many trophies as MS Dhoni,” Rahul said on Ji0Star.
“Cricket is a team sport. You want to win trophies. You want to be part of successful sides. That has always been my goal.”
The stylish right-hander also opened up about his remarkable record at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, attributing it to an emotional connect with his home ground. “I’ve thought about whether there’s a switch I use against RCB, but I
haven’t found an answer. Chinnaswamy is very special to me. I grew up there, and something just clicks when I play at that venue,” he said.
“So, a psychological switch happens when I go there. It’s not just against RCB. I’ve done well in international games there too. Some stadiums just give you a good vibe and make you feel you’ll do well.”
Rahul also hailed the fearless approach of India’s new-generation batters, pointing out how youngsters are redefining T20 batting with their aggressive mindset.
“They don’t fear reputations - whether it’s someone like Jasprit Bumrah or Pat Cummins. They just see the ball and want to hit it out of the park. That’s the mindset modern T20 cricket demands,” he noted.
“It’s phenomenal what the new-age cricketers are doing. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has taken world cricket by storm. Two centuries at the age of 15 is something I never even dreamt of doing.
“Ayush Mhatre has also done well, helping CSK score quick runs. The amount of talent coming up in India is scary, especially in T20 cricket. These fearless prodigies are changing the way T20s are played,” he added.
