Rahul and Nitish Rana (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: Delhi Capitals’ KL Rahul and Nitish Rana produced a brilliant batting effort, as they dismantled Punjab Kings in their IPL 2026 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.Rahul, who was given an early lifeline after he was dropped by Shashank Singh in the 12th over off Arshdeep Singh, made the most of the time-out in brutal fashion.
The right-hander continued to dominate the PBKS bowling attack, playing shots all over the ground with authority and control.
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Along with Rana, Rahul put together a sensational unbeaten 150-over stand, which came in just 70 balls. The partnership is now the highest between Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings for any wicket, surpassing the 146-run stand between Virender Sehwag and David Warner in 2011.The duo’s efforts also overshadowed other notable stands, including 106-run partnerships between Mayank Agarwal and Yuvraj Singh in 2015, and Agarwal with Shreyas Iyer in the same year.Rahul hit a stunning century off just 47 balls – his sixth in Indian Premier League history – as he showed his ability to switch gears with ease after a cautious start.On the other hand, Rana provided the perfect support, scoring 29 balls over his half-century and keeping the pressure on the opposition strong.One of the standout moments of the innings came in the 12th over, when Rana took on Xavier Bartlett and plundered 28 runs. It now ranks among the most expensive runs ever conceded to a Delhi Capitals batsman in IPL history.
There are only three instances – all resulting in 30 runs – topping it off, including efforts by Sehwag, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Rishabh Pant.Most of them are run by DC batsman in IPL30 – Virender Sehwag off Andrew Symonds (Deccan), Hyderabad, 200830 – Jake Fraser-McGurk off Washington Sundar (SRH), Delhi, 202430 – Rishabh Pant off Mohit Sharma (GT), Delhi, 202428 – Shreyas Iyer off Shivam Mavi (KKR), Delhi, 201828 – Rishabh Pant off Venkatesh Iyer (KKR), Visakhapatnam, 202428 – Jake Fraser-McGurk off Avesh Khan (RR), Delhi, 202428 – Nitish Rana off Xavier Bartlett (PBKS), Delhi, 2026The century stands on DC vs PBKS (any wicket)150* – KL Rahul and Nitish Rana, Delhi, 2026146 – Virender Sehwag and David Warner, Delhi, 2011106 – Mayank Agarwal and Yuvraj Singh, Pune, 2015106 – Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer, Delhi, 2015