”Dubai, set your eyes on the #GOLD!”- KL Rahul

Stylish opener and Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul is gearing up for the upcoming second leg of the 14th season of the cash-rich IPL.

Rahul, who is currently in the midst of a six-day mandatory isolation, took to his Twitter account where he wrote:

“Dubai, set your eyes on the #GOLD! Coming Soon ????????”

Punjab Kings will resume their campaign against the Rajasthan Royals in Dubai on September 21st.

The KL Rahul-led outfit is currently at the sixth spot in the points table after having won three games in eight outings.

Can KL Rahul rewind the clock back to the 2018 IPL this season?

Rahul has been the bedrock of the Punjab Kings’ batting-unit ever since he joined the franchise back in 2018.

The Indian opener has consistently racked up in excess of 550 runs in the past three seasons. But his strike rate has taken a massive and sustained beating in the last 2.5 seasons.

Rahul was at his brutal best during the 2018 edition of the lucrative league. He smashed as many as 659 runs in 14 innings at an average of 53.90 and a strike rate of 158.41 with six 50-plus scores.

While he still scored runs over the next couple of seasons, the alarming decline in the intent with which he batted was quite evident.

Fastest ever fifty in the #IPL history :

1. K L Rahul – 14 balls ????
2. Yusuf Pathan – 15 balls
3. Sunil Narine – 15 balls

” Even I was surprised when I hit a 14-ball half-century against Delhi. ” ????????
– K L Rahul

@klrahul11 • #SaddaPunjab

Fastest ever fifty in the #IPL history :

1. K L Rahul – 14 balls ????
2. Yusuf Pathan – 15 balls
3. Sunil Narine – 15 balls

” Even I was surprised when I hit a 14-ball half-century against Delhi. ” ????????
– K L Rahul

@klrahul11 • #SaddaPunjab https://t.co/ktJ71gNyj6

He racked up 593 runs in 14 innings during the 2019 season and while his average was 53.90, the strike rate fell to 135.38. The decline was even more evident during the last edition, which took place in the United Arab Emirates.

In 14 innings, Rahul scored 670 runs at an average of 55.83 albeit at a strike rate of 129.34 including six 50-plus scores and a hundred [vs Royal Challengers Bangalore].

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Rahul scored at a strike rate of 136.21 in the seven innings he batted during the first leg of the current season. He scored 331 runs at an average of 66.20 and the Punjab Kings will hope that their skipper not only continues his form but also beefs up his scoring rate.

The upcoming season will be very crucial for Rahul as his batting approach could well decide if he opens the innings for Team India during the ICC T20 World Cup.