KL Rahul to Miss IPL Opening Matches for Delhi Capitals Due to Family Commitment

India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has given another glimpse to the Delhi Capitals team. He will be absent from the opening matches of the IPL, which will start in ten days. It is reported that this wicketkeeper-batter will not be available for the first two matches due to a personal reason. Rahul's wife, Athiya Shetty, is expected to give birth to their first child soon, and he has decided to be with his family during this time. As a result, Rahul will miss the opening two matches.

Rahul, who has already rejected the captaincy offer, will be a significant absence for the team in these early matches. He was bought for Rs 14 crore in the 2025 IPL mega auction, and the Delhi franchise has high hopes for this experienced wicketkeeper-batsman. Rahul, who played for Lucknow Super Giants in the 2024 IPL season, failed to lead the team to the playoffs as captain, which led to Lucknow's decision not to retain him. This is the first time Rahul, who previously played for Punjab, Bangalore, and Sunrisers, is playing for Delhi Capitals.

So far, Rahul has scored 4,683 runs in 132 IPL matches, with four centuries and 37 half-centuries. He performed brilliantly in the recent Champions Trophy, playing key innings, especially when the team was under pressure. He silenced critics by scoring a total of 148 runs.

Delhi Capitals will travel to Visakhapatnam for their first two matches. Before that, there will be a short training-cum-simulation camp in Delhi. Axar Patel, Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Mitchell Starc will attend the Visakhapatnam camp on March 17 and 18.