KL Rahul's Viral Chinnaswamy Celebration Video: What Bengaluru Boy Said After His Epic IPL Knock Against RCB - Watch

KL Rahul’s beast mode is officially on. The 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batter led from the front with a match-winning knock as Delhi Capitals handed Royal Challengers Bengaluru a six-wicket defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday night. (Highlights | Schedule | Teams)

Chasing a target of 164, Rahul smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 53 deliveries, laced with 7 fours and 6 sixes, guiding Delhi to 169/4 in 17.5 overs. While he missed out on a century, his unusual celebration after sealing the win with a six became the bigger talking point.

Thumping his chest and pointing to the pitch, Rahul seemed to proclaim, “Chinnaswamy is mine!” He hugged his teammate Tristan Stubbs -- unbeaten on 38 off 23 balls -- at the crease, appearing to say, “This is my ground.”

KL Rahul And Bengaluru

And rightly so. Bengaluru is where he was born, and this was where it all began for Rahul in the IPL. He made his debut for RCB in 2013 and played for the franchise until 2016. Fast forward to 2025, and Rahul returned to this venue as Delhi's most expensive buy -- bought for a massive INR 14 crore at the Jeddah auction.

In the post-match event, Rahul was awarded the Player Of The match honour where he said, "This is my ground, this is my home. I know this better than anybody else. Enjoyed playing here."

Rahul explained how being behind the stumps helped him plan his chase. "What helped me was being behind the stumps for 20 overs, just watching how it played. From wicketkeeping I figured that the ball sat in the wicket a little bit but it was consistent throughout—it wasn't two-paced, it was one paced throughout," he said.

Also, there was a bit of luck with the Bengaluru boy, referring to the dropped catch by RCB skipper Rajat Patidar that turned the fortunes into DC's favour, he said, "Got lucky with the dropped catch."

Earlier in the match, RCB struggled to get going after being asked to bat first. The Rajat Patidar-led side, posted a modest total of 163/6. Vipraj Nigam (2/18) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/17) tightened the screws with superb spells.

Virat Kohli’s promising start ended on 22 (14) thanks to Nigam, while Phil Salt’s run-out for 37 off 17 proved really costly for the hosts. Tim David chipped in with a late 37 off 20 to prevent a complete collapse.

Nevertheless, Delhi’s chase wasn't all smooth sailing -- they were 30/3 in 4.3 overs and faced several scares early. But Rahul, in supreme touch, stitched a game-changing partnership with Stubbs to guide them to a fourth straight win.

With this victory, Delhi Capitals climb to second on the table with 8 points from 4 matches, level with Gujarat Titans at the top. Meanwhile, RCB remain winless at home and sit third with 6 points from 5 games.

Up next, Delhi Capitals will look to continue their winning momentum when they face Mumbai Indians on April 13. On the same day, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will aim to bounce back as they take on Rajasthan Royals -- in the third double-header of IPL 2025.