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Jofra Archer, the England pacer, who has been playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a long time now, named the batter against whom he struggled the most. Interestingly, it is not the Indian cricket legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
According to Jofra Archer, KL Rahul was phenomenal during his early days in the league. KL Rahul is arguably the most versatile batter in the current Indian cricket team setup. Originally, a batter who developed his wicket-keeping skills to support the team had shown his skills to develop his game as per the situation demanded.
Jofra Archer reckoned the talent of KL Rahul
IPL 2026 was remarkable for the Indian batter. The Delhi Capitals (DC) opener was amongst the leading run scorers in the IPL season. Rahul concluded the season with 593 runs in 14 matches and as many innings with a strike rate of 174.41 and an average of 45.61.
During the campaign, the right-handed batter smashed one century and five half-centuries. His efforts were not rewarded as they should have been, as the Delhi Capitals were knocked out of the title race in the group stage.
Jofra Archer, who is considered the Indian batter to be highly talented and skillful, mentions that he was very hard to bowl to.
“Probably KL Rahul in the first few years of the IPL. He was in his prime then, and it felt like he could hit any ball anywhere. He was really hard to bowl to,” the England international, Jofra Archer, responded while he was questioned, “Hardest batter you’ve ever bowled to?”
🔴 I HAD NO ANSWER FOR KL RAHUL – JOFRA ARCHER🤯
Q 🎙️: Hardest batter you’ve ever bowled to?
Jofra🎙️: “Probably KL Rahul in the first few years of the IPL. He was in his prime then, and it felt like he could hit any ball anywhere. He was really hard to bowl to.” pic.twitter.com/lEprhZsCmJ
— Sam (@cricsam02) June 22, 2026
Rahul invented his batting in 2026
Based on the strike rate before the 2026 Indian Premier League, the 2018 season was brilliant for him. Rahul was then with the Punjab Kings, scored 659 runs in 14 matches and as many innings with an average of 54.91 and a strike rate of 158.41.
In the previous season, when he was with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, KL Rahul claimed 397 runs in 12 innings, with a strike rate of 146.49. In the later years of the league, his strike rate was non a lower side before shifting gears in 2026.
While KL Rahul’s average strike rate in the T20 league is 139.14, his strike rate in the previous season with DC was 174.41, which shows how he adapts to the current scenario, where the batters are required to score in a faster way.
The batter will be tested heavily in England
After the conclusion of the IPL 2026 season, KL Rahul has retained his place in the ODI team. He did not get barely any opportunity to do much against Afghanistan in the ODIs, but may have to take a crucial role against the England cricket team when the Men in Blue travel to the UK to face Ireland and England for two separate bilateral contests.
In the ODIs, the 34-year-old will have to show his class, skill, and temperament against the fiery bowling attack of England.