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IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen acknowledges that versatile batter KL Rahul's transformed batting technique for the side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 should translate into a return for the wicketkeeper-batter in India's T20I set-up.
With his intent in the shortest format being questioned in the past, Rahul has tweaked his approach to be the leading run-getter for Delhi Capitals this season. The competition for the wicket-keeper-batter's slot in the national team is stiff with Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan being the other options for the selectors.
Rahul last played T20Is for India in the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup, where he made only 128 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 120.75 and came under fire for playing an outdated style of T20 cricket.
But since joining DC in IPL 2025, Rahul has reinvented his style of playing T20s, with its base being playing aggressively with greater freedom as seen by him amassing 364 runs in eight games, with an average of 60.67 and a strike rate of 146.18.
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Pietersen reckons not only has he done enough to warrant a comeback, he is best suited for the wicket-keeper-batter's role.
"I think you guys have got plenty of opening batters. You've got Surya who bats at the top, and you've got all of these guys but the way that KL Rahul is playing cricket now, he would be my first choice to bat at four and keep wicket for India," said Pietersen in the post-match press conference, after DC lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets.
Pietersen commended Rahul for his optimistic approach and underscored his powerful performances in the Champions Trophy, where he accumulated 140 runs at an average of 140, with a top score of 42* against Australia in Dubai.
"KL has been playing in a very positive manner since late last year, mid to late last year. We saw how he finished off a couple of the games for India and almost sealed the deal in the Champions Trophy in Dubai," Pietersen said.
At the start of the season, Rahul himself had talked about his renewed approach towards the T20 format Besides the stellar show in IPL, it was Rahul's recent performances for India in ODI cricket that left a huge impression on Pietersen, one of the best batters to have played for England.
"I've had a lot of incredibly brilliant conversations with him about batting - a lot of deep and meaningful conversations because when you grow up as a youngster like he did and you get taught defence, elbow up, play in the V and then all of a sudden in your thirties, you've got to change it and you've got to become a different kind of player for a different format which is evolving all the time," the DC mentor further stated.
"It's very, very difficult. So the way that he has accepted that he's needed to change, the way that he has changed is of great, great credit to the person that he is. He is so positive, the way that he practices, the way that he trains, the way he thinks about the game and also the way that he talks about the game. That's KL," he added.
Choosing to reflect on DC making 162/8, the lowest first innings total here since IPL 2024, Pietersen did acknowledge that batting first was hard due to the dryness on the pitch and felt chasing was the ideal option.
DC have just a day's break to regroup before taking the field against an erratic Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday, and Pietersen feels the side has yet to play its perfect match in all aspects.
"Again, we've got a very, very good bowling line-up. We've got an incredibly long batting line-up, and I think it completely depends on who we're up against."
"If you have a look at this evening's fixture, the kind of players and the kind of team that Bangalore are, probably a better wicket to play them against, whereas against KKR on Tuesday, I'm hoping it's not the wicket that we got here. So, I think there can be changes, that's the luxury of playing at home," he added.