Former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund has backed KL Rahul ahead of Delhi Capitals’ home game against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday. Rahul was dismissed for a golden duck against Lucknow Super Giants in the opening game whereas he could only manage a solitary run in the previous game against Mumbai Indians as he was strangled down the leg side by Deepak Chahar.
However, Mukund highlighted that Rahul is the kind of player whose name is always there in the Orange Cap list in the IPL. The flamboyant batter has been a consistent performer in the tournament and would want to deliver at the top of the order for DC.
Mukund said on ESPN Cricinfo, “I feel that KL Rahul will come good. I can guarantee he will score over 400 runs because KL Rahul is the kind of player whose name is always on the Orange Cap list. This is just one or two games, and that happens to all players. And I’m sure he will also feel that he needs to score runs. Right now, my account is not open; I have scored just one run in two matches. I’m not too concerned. I’m convinced that KL Rahul will be a 400- to 500-run player. That is the minimum he will get.”
Meanwhile, Mukund said Gujarat Titans will continue to back Jos Buttler, who has managed only 64 runs in the first two games of the tournament.
He added, “I think they will back Jos Buttler for the entire season because last season all their top three players scored 500 runs, and one of the reasons for their success was Jos Buttler. He is a class player, no doubt. I think they will give him an extended run. Especially with injury concerns for Shubman Gill, so you shouldn’t be bringing in new players constantly.”
The former Tamil Nadu batter opined that GT needs to play Jason Holder in the playing XI and reckons the West Indies all-rounder would have finished the previous game against Rajasthan Royals, which GT lost by six runs.
“They’ll have to think about how to fit Jason Holder. You go into the auction with a plan, but you can only play four overseas players. So what is your combination? In the last game, if Holder was there, maybe he could have taken them past the line to win the match. Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada scored runs, but maybe if Holder had played, he could have finished it.”
GT will take on DC at Delhi on Wednesday.
