DC Capitals opener KL Rahul has been a revelation in the ongoing IPL season, combining consistency with a much higher strike rate (he has scored 433 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 185.84, averaging 54.13). And the India and Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter attributes his newfound approach to the game to fatherhood — his wife, Bollywood actor Athiya Shetty, gave birth to their first child, Evaarah, in March 2025.

“Fatherhood has been the most beautiful thing for me. When I see her smile, when she gives me a hug and a kiss, all my injuries, pain and worries, everything is forgotten. That [fatherhood] has helped my cricket over the last year. I don’t overthink the game anymore, which has made it exciting again,” Rahul, 34, told JioStar recently.