264 Wasn't Enough. KL Rahul Scored 152 And Still Lost. The Most Insane IPL Match Ever Played.

 

There is a number that has lived in cricket fans' heads for years. 263. The highest total ever successfully chased in T20 cricket. A number so far beyond what the format was supposed to produce that it felt like a ceiling — the absolute outer limit of what was humanly possible when a team with a bat in their hand was told to get runs.

On April 25, 2026, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Punjab Kings walked past it with seven balls to spare.

265. Chased. Done. New record. And the maddest part of the whole evening? The man who scored 152 not out — the highest score by an Indian in IPL history — ended up on the losing side.

KL Rahul batted through all 20 overs of Delhi Capitals' innings in 41-degree heat. He was so exhausted at the halfway mark that he was panting through his post-innings interview. He hit the ball to every corner of the ground, went from 100 to 150 in 19 balls, and gave DC a total that would have won literally any other T20 game played in the history of the format.

It was not enough. Not even close to enough. And that tells you everything you need to know about what April 25, 2026 was.