He may get out, but he will become very dangerous

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels Delhi Capitals (DC) star KL Rahul will have a brilliant IPL 2026 season if he plays with an attacking approach. He noted that the right-handed batter tried to do the same in the team’s opening clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Wednesday, April 1.

Rahul was dismissed for a golden duck in the fixture. He went for a drive off an away swinger from Mohammad Shami and was caught at third man following an outside edge. Irfan opined that the 33-year-old may fail at times but can achieve great success with this mindset.

The cricketer-turned-commentator said in his YouTube video after DC’s six-wicket win over LSG at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow:

“KL Rahul’s approach seemed like even if the first ball was there to hit, he would do it. He will score runs if he sticks to this approach throughout the season. He may get out, but he will become very dangerous.”

Rahul’s early dismissal put DC under a lot of pressure. To make matters worse, they lost three more wickets within the powerplay. Sameer Rizvi played a clutch knock, taking his team to victory with an unbeaten 70 off 47.

Irfan remarked that Rizvi’s maternal uncle, Tankeeb Akhtar, who is also his childhood coach, would be delighted with his batting exploits.

“Sameer will definitely be very happy, but there is one person who would be happier than him – Tankeeb Akhtar, his uncle and coach, who supported him completely when he was growing up. The entire family was against him playing cricket, but his uncle said, ‘No, I will make him play.’ He conducted sessions for him from 7 am to 6 pm. During this knock, his uncle would have been remembering those days,” he added.

Delhi chased down the target in 17.1 overs despite the shaky start. Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs formed an important unbeaten 117-run partnership in 76 balls to seal victory for the visitors.

“The way you convey it matters a lot” – Irfan Pathan’s statement on DC head coach Hemang Badani

David Miller seemed all ready to walk out to bat after Axar Patel’s dismissal in the fourth over of the run chase. However, DC head coach Hemang Badani rushed to the dugout and stopped the veteran batter.

Tristan Stubbs went in amid the batting collapse ahead of Miller. Irfan Pathan emphasized that while it was the right move, Badani should have communicated the message in a better manner.

“There was a moment in this match. Hemang Badani ran towards David Miller, who was ready to go out to bat. He held him back and sent another batter in. A lot of things go through a senior player’s mind before going in. The decision was correct, but the way you convey it matters a lot. He is an Indian coach, and on the other side is an experienced player who has won many matches. It is very important how you convey such things,” he added in the same video.

DC are set to face Mumbai Indians (MI) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi in an afternoon match on Saturday, April 4.