This year’s Indian Premier League was always going to be unlike any other. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we witnessed the longest gap between two seasons of the IPL. More importantly, though, the players competing in IPL 2020 lived through the longest break from professional cricket in their careers.

There was a lot to look forward to heading into this season. The extended period away meant players had plenty of time to recover from niggles and be fresh for the start. But there was the other side to the story, too. The part where rustiness creeps in and you struggle to find rhythm. And the first few games have provided ample proof of that.

Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul, for one, was refreshingly candid about his fears in the buildup to the tournament in the UAE. Just last month, he reflected on the disturbing thoughts he had about his game during the lockdown.

“Once or twice I did have sleepless nights thinking what if once I get back to playing cricket, I am not the same player,” he told The Indian Express.

In fact, Rahul wasn’t in a great frame of mind even before his second game of the season, against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“I haven’t actually been very confident. I had a chat with Maxi (teammate Glenn Maxwell) yesterday and told him that I am not feeling completely in control of my batting,” he said after the match on Thursday.

Irrespective of how he felt before the game, though, Rahul’s performance with the bat against RCB was nothing less than a masterclass. The KXIP captain smashed the first century of IPL 2020 and his 132 off just 69 deliveries was the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history.

For any other player in the IPL who also has lingering doubts, it provided a template for how to gradually find your best.

A masterclass

The first six boundaries Rahul hit against RCB were with risk-free shots. A clip to fine-leg, a drive through covers, a sweep to a delivery drifting down leg, and a few cuts past backward point and short-third. Then came a free-hit which was deposited over deep extra-cover in stunning fashion. And just like that, without trying anything fancy, he got to a fifty in 36 balls.

RCB showed some fight as Shivam Dube removed Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession. But Rahul soon made his way to the 70s and by then, he had banished the apprehensions about his batting. He was ready for the assault.

From 77 off 54, the right-hander blazed his way to an unbeaten 132 off 69. He scored a staggering 55 runs off the last 15 balls he faced. He began the attack with a pull off Dale Steyn that flew flat for six, and was then aided by two dropped catches from Virat Kohli, but the carnage he left behind in the last two overs will be remembered for a long, long time.

The penultimate over of the innings, which was bowled by Steyn, went like this: 6, 4, 0, 6, 6, 4. And the last over by Dube went: 2, 4, 1, 4, 6, 6. From deep backward square to deep backward point, Rahul hit fours and sixes to all corners in the last nine balls he faced. It was a sensational exhibition of seemingly effortless power-hitting from one of the finest white-ball batsmen in the world at the moment.

Watch: Against Kohli & Co, Rahul slams highest ever score by an Indian in IPL history

A statement

Kings XI Punjab went on to register a thumping 97-run victory and Rahul outscored the might of Virat Kohli and Co, who were bowled out for 109 . The result was significant for the league. The impressive performance by the batsmen was backed up by the bowlers as leg-spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin picked three wickets each to help bowl-out RCB for just 109.

KXIP, who have played every season but made the playoffs just twice, showed great character in bouncing back and completely outplaying RCB after the heartbreaking Super Over defeat to Delhi Capitals in the opener.

While the addition of stalwarts like Anil Kumble, Jonty Rhodes, Wasim Jaffer and Andy Flower to the coaching staff was bound to make a difference, the balance in the side has been evident in the first two games with players from every department chipping in at crucial moments.

It is still early days in the tournament but Punjab look like they mean business this year. And the most promising aspect for them has to be their skipper. Rahul has shown his class as a batsman for several years now, but the responsibility of being a captain might just elevate him to the next level.