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KL Rahul's 'Kantara' celebration after defeating RCB in their previous match has sparked a potential revenge plot by Virat Kohli. The upcoming DC vs RCB clash is set to be a fiery encounter with both batsmen in top form this IPL season.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 clash between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, KL Rahul might be well aware of Virat Kohli’s art of giving it back, which could make the contest even fiercer as the RCB stalwart will look to take revenge for the DC batter’s celebration in their previous face off.
Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to lock horns for the second time in the ongoing IPL season. Their last face off between two teams was at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where DC defeated RCB by 6 wickets. KL Rahul was the star performer with the bat in front of his home crowd as he played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 93 off 53 balls to help DC chase down a 164-run target in 17.5 overs.
It was a special and memorable innings for KL Rahul as the Karnataka batter played in front of his home ground and at the venue, where he began his professional career. However, what caught the attention of the fans and spectators alike was his unique celebration that left everyone stunned. Just a moment after hitting a winning six, Rahul stomped his bat on the ground, thumped his chest, and declared it as his ground.
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Speaking on his unique celebration, the DC batter said that the celebration was from his favourite Kannada movie ‘Kantara’ and added that the ground belonged to him, as he played his early days of his career at the iconic stadium.
“This is a special place for me. The celebration was from one of my favourite movies, Kantara. So, yes, just a tiny reminder that this ground, this home, this turf is where I have grown up and this is mine." Rahul said in a post by DC on X (formerly Twitter).
Sanjay Bangar warns KL Rahul of Virat Kohli’s revenge
Speaking ahead of the clash between DC and RCB, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar warned KL Rahul of exact revenge by Virat Kohli with a ‘Who is the Boss’ gesture as the latter will not only play at his home ground but also in front of the pavilion named after him.
"I think Virat would do a little bit differently. I think he will show that 'OK, that pavilion in which you're sitting, it's mine'. Who's the boss? Virat is the boss there," Bangar said on Star Sports.
Sanjay Bangar had worked with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli during his stint as Indian batting coach from 2014 to 2019, and knows both players' mindsets properly, making the clash between DC and RCB even more intriguing. Bangar served as the head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru where he worked with Virat Kohli and other players in the team during his three-year stint from 2021 to 2023.
After India’s disastrous Border-Gavaskar Trophy this year, Virat Kohli had worked closely with Sanjay Bangar in order to improve his batting, especially his off-stump weakness, which was on display throughout the five-match series against Australia.
How KL Rahul and Virat Kohli fared in IPL 2025?
The clash between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be more of a clash between two in-form batters in the ongoing IPL season. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have been in a brilliant form and emerged as the batting mainstays for the respective teams in the IPL 2025.
KL Rahul is the leading run-scorer for Delhi Capitals and ninth in the race of Orange Cap with 323 runs, including 3 fifties, at an average of 64.60 and a strike rate of 153.80 in seven matches. During his 57-run knock against his former team, Lucknow Super Giants, Rahul became the fastest player to amass 5000 runs in the history of IPL, achieving the milestone in just 130 innings.
Virat Kohli, on the other hand, is the second leading run-getter of the IPL 2025, aggregating 392 runs, including 5 fifties, at an average of 65.33 and a strike rate of 144.11 in 9 matches. Kohli’s best performance against Punjab Kings, when he played match-winning unbeaten innings of 73 off 54 balls to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase down 158-run target in 18.5 overs. He won the Player of the Match award for his performance against Punjab Kings.
