Profile :

Statistics :

Background :

Kananur Lokesh Rahul aka KL Rahul, an Indian cricketer who competes on the international stage, was born on April 18, 1992. KL Rahul bats right-handed for Karnataka in domestic competition and captains the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. In ODIs and T20 games, KL Rahul typically bats in the middle order while opening the batting order in Test and T20 games. At the international level, KL Rahul occasionally holds the wicket in the shorter versions of the game, but at the domestic level, KL Rahul does it more frequently. KL Rahul is also one of the most notable participants in the debate over the idea that strike rates in T20s are exaggerated. KL Rahul’s father Lokesh is a professor and a former director at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) in Mangalore. Lokesh comes from the Magadi taluk’s Kananur. Rajeshwari, KL Rahul’s mother, teaches at Mangalore University. KL Rahul was raised in Mangalore and attended St. Aloysius College for his pre-university studies before NITK English Medium School for his high school education. At the age of 10, KL Rahul began his cricket training. Two years later, KL Rahul began competing for both his club in Mangalore and Bangalore United Cricket Club. KL Rahul relocated to Bangalore at the age of 18 to attend Jain University and further his cricket career. KL Rahul wed Indian actress Athiya Shetty, the daughter of actor Sunil Shetty, on January 23, 2023.

Career :

KL Rahul made his first-class debut for Karnataka in the 2010-11 season and scored 143 runs in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. KL Rahul debuted in the Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013. In the 2013-14 season, KL Rahul was the second-highest scorer in the domestic league with 1,033 runs. KL Rahul impressed in the Duleep Trophy final in 2014-15, scoring 185 and 130 runs in the first and second innings, respectively. KL Rahul made his Test debut in the 2014 Boxing Day Test against Australia but had a modest start. However, KL Rahul scored his first international century in the following Test at Sydney. KL Rahul faced setbacks due to injuries and illnesses but made comebacks, including a century on his ODI debut against Zimbabwe. KL Rahul became the first Indian to score centuries in all three formats within his 20th international innings. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya faced suspension for their controversial remarks on a TV show. KL Rahul later returned to the team and performed well in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. While KL Rahul faced criticism for his Test performances, KL Rahul continued to excel in limited-overs cricket, scoring centuries in ODIs and T20Is. KL Rahul had notable performances in various series, including the T20I series against New Zealand and the ODI series against England. KL Rahul showed his prowess in the Test format during the England tour in 2021, scoring consistently and winning the Man of the Match award in the second Test. KL Rahul played a significant role in India’s campaign at the T20 World Cup in 2021, finishing as the team’s leading run-scorer. KL Rahul was appointed vice-captain in the T20I and ODI formats and captained the team in Rohit Sharma’s absence. KL Rahul had mixed results as captain, winning the Man of the Match award in his debut Test as captain but facing defeats in subsequent matches. KL Rahul faced injury setbacks, including a hamstring strain, which affected his availability for certain series. KL Rahul returned as captain for the Zimbabwe tour and served as acting captain in the Asia Cup match against Afghanistan. However, KL Rahul struggled to score significant runs, leading to criticism and his removal as Test vice-captain in February 2023.

IPL :

KL Rahul made his IPL debut in 2013 for Royal Challengers Bangalore and later played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and returned to RCB in 2016. KL Rahul had a successful 2016 season, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer, and was named in the Cricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI. In 2018, KL Rahul was purchased by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for INR 11 crore and broke the record for the fastest fifty in IPL history. KL Rahul had an outstanding season in 2018, scoring 659 runs and finishing third in terms of runs scored in the tournament. KL Rahul achieved his first IPL century in 2019 and ended the season with 593 runs, the second-most by an Indian batsman. KL Rahul was appointed captain of the Punjab Kings in 2020 and broke multiple records, including the most runs scored by an Indian batsman and the most runs scored by a skipper. Under KL Rahul’s leadership, Punjab Kings had a mixed season, finishing in sixth place. In the 2020 IPL season, KL Rahul scored 670 runs, received the Orange Cap, and was named Dream 11 Game Changer of the Season. KL Rahul continued as captain of Punjab Kings in the 2021 season, had some impressive performances, and finished as the team’s leading run-scorer with 626 runs. In 2022, KL Rahul left Punjab Kings and became the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, where KL Rahul scored centuries in his 100^th and 101^st IPL matches before getting injured and retiring.