KL Rahul was born and brought up in the prestigious National Institute of Technology Karnataka, where his father is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. He finished his schooling in NITK and grew to develop a keen interest in cricket. Having started with batting on the grass-less field of the college, Rahul’s parents spotted a spark in him and decided that he must receive formal training to realize his talents.
Rahul rose through the ranks of Under-19 cricket broke into the Karnataka first-class side and had a decent debut season in 2010-11. He was left out of the squad for the succeeding season, but he returned for the 2012-13 season, in which he had a prolific run of form, becoming the highest run-getter of the season, propelling himself into contention for the highest honour of them all – an India Test cap.
The prospect of a debut on a momentous occasion like Boxing Day at the MCG against the world’s chirpiest team seemed to throw Rahul off his game, as he crumbled under pressure and lost his wicket to two shots unbecoming (to say the least) of a Test player. With the series already lost, and in a manifestation of compassion for Rahul’s nervous jitters, the selectors and the captain decided to give Rahul a go at his usual opening spot in the Sydney Test. He had a dramatic redemption in Sydney as he stroked his way to a patient century, proving that he belongs in the national side – to himself, more than anyone else.
This hundred gave Rahul some momentum, and he went on to make hundreds in Sri Lanka and the West Indies on away tours, making the opening combination a dilemma for the Indian selectors. He showed his tendency to convert starts, making his first three fifty-plus scores count, and going on to score a hundred each time. However, he continued to have anxious starts and got the reputation of an ‘all-or-nothing’ player.
Rahul was selected in the limited-overs squads to Zimbabwe and West Indies in mid-2016. It was then that Rahul showed his versatility across formats, bursting forth with a hundred each on his ODI and T20I debut, after a fine run in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The young right-hander got a chance to play his first home Test, but a series of injuries and recurrences managed to keep him going in and out of the playing XI until the Chennai Test against England in late 2017 when he made a full recovery. He went on to make a heart-breaking 199 in Chennai; his current highest score in Test cricket.
With an ideal mentor in Rahul Dravid, KL Rahul shares more than his first name with the Indian legend; the dogged resistance, the compact, airtight technique, and the unimpeachable focus at the crease are all common factors between the two batting technicians. Rahul does need to work a tad more on his nerves, though, after his tame dismissal on 199 in Chennai further reinforced his image as a timorous player. However, with age on his side, Rahul can work on his nerves and with an all-conditions technique to go with it, he is an exciting prospect for India’s long and challenging overseas season and he would like to reinforce his spot as a long-term option for India as a premier Test opener.
KL Rahul Biography
| Full name | Kannur Lokesh Rahul |
| Nick Name | KL |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | Apr 18, 1992 (31 years) |
| Birth Place | Mangaluru, Karnataka |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Aries |
| Profession | Cricketer (Batsman and Wicket-keeper) |
| Country | India |
| Cricket Role | WK-Batsman |
| Father name | KN Lokesh (Dean) |
| Mother name | Rajeshwari (History Professor) |
| Married | |
| Spouse or Girlfriend | Athiya Shetty |
| Children | |
| Education Qualification | Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Current Residence | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Batting Style | Right Handed Bat |
| Bowling Style | |
| Domestic Cricket debut | |
| International Debut | Test– 26 December 2014 against Australia at Melbourne ODI– 11 June 2016 against Zimbabwe at Harare T20– 18 June 2016 against Zimbabwe at Harare |
| Teams | India, Karnataka, East Zone, South Zone, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, India A, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Indians, Hubli Tigers, Indian Board Presidents XI, Bellary Tuskers, Punjab Kings, Asia XI, Lucknow Super Giants |
KL Rahul Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.80 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 11” |
| Weight | in kilograms- 70 kg in pounds- 154 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | – Chest: 40 Inches – Waist: 32 Inches – Biceps: 12 Inches |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
KL Rahul Profile
– KL Rahul has played for four IPL teams since he made his debut in 2013. His first season was for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after which he was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2014 and 2015. He rejoined RCB in 2016, missed IPL 2017 because of injury, and then represented Punjab Kings (PBKS, previously known as Kings XI Punjab or KXIP) from 2018 to 2021. Rahul moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022.
– A versatile batter who started in the middle order before moving to the top, Rahul also keeps wicket in the IPL and has emerged as one of the league’s most consistent run-scorers, with more than 590 runs in each season from 2018 to 2022.
– In IPL 2018, Rahul smashed a fifty off 14 balls against Delhi Daredevils, which was the record for the fastest half-century in the IPL at the time.
– In IPL 2020, Rahul won the Orange Cap for the most runs in the season: 670.
– Rahul was named captain of Punjab Kings in IPL 2020 – his first captaincy stint in the IPL – and he led them for two years before moving to LSG, where he was appointed captain once again. Under Rahul’s leadership, LSG qualified for the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons, though Rahul played only nine matches in IPL 2023 because of a thigh injury.
– With four centuries, ahead of IPL 2024 Rahul is second only to Virat Kohli among Indian batters with the most hundreds in the Indian Premier League.
KL Rahul player profile
A tall, elegant right-hand batter who can keep wicket in a crisis, KL Rahul is among the most highly rated opening batters in India’s next generation. Rahul was a part of India’s squad in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup and made his first-class debut later that year. Having taken a while to establish himself as a first-class cricketer, he enjoyed a breakthrough 2013-14 season, laying the foundation for Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy victory with 1033 runs, which included three centuries, three nineties, and a Man-of-the-Match performance in the final.
Rahul attracted plenty of attention at the subsequent IPL auction and finally went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 1 crore (US$ 166,000 approx.). He was a regular member of their side in the 2014 season, mostly as a wicketkeeper-batter, but his contributions with the bat were steady rather than spectacular.
In the long format, however, his technique and application have impressed some of Indian cricket’s most respected names. These include Rahul Dravid, with whom Rahul shares not just a name but also a strong rapport, regularly seeking him out for technical and mental advice.
Rahul had a middling tour of Australia with the India A team in July-August 2014, getting starts each time he batted in the unofficial Tests but only managed a top score of 52. But his appetite for runs was back to normal by the time the 2014-15 domestic season began, and twin centuries in the Duleep Trophy final earned him a place in India’s Test squad on their tour of Australia.
A profitable IPL in 2016 set him up to make the Indian ODI and T20 squad that toured Zimbabwe in June, where he became the first batter from his country to score a century on debut in 50-over cricket.
Records
- In 2017, he became the 1st Indian and 6th overall cricketer to score 7 consecutive Test fifties
- First Indian cricketer to score a century on ODI debut (On 11 June 2016 against Zimbabwe)
- First cricketer to score a century in T20I match while playing at 4th or lower batting position (On 27 August 2016 against West Indies, 110 runs not out in 51 balls at 4th batting position)
- Fastest batsman to have scored centuries in all three formats
- Highest individual score by an Indian batter in an IPL match (132 runs not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on 24 September 2020)
- First Indian batsman to be dismissed hit-wicket in T20Is
- Fastest century in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (On 12 November 2023 against Netherlands in 62 balls); Second Indian wicketkeeper-batsman after Rahul Dravid to score a century in the World Cup.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Named as wicketkeeper in the ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI of 2016 season
- Named in the Cricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI of 2018 season
- Eklavya Award by Karnataka government in November 2020
KL Rahul Career Stats
Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 50 | 86 | 2 | 2863 | 199 | 34.08 | 5481 | 52.23 | 8 | 14 | 345 | 24 | 62 | 0 |
| ODIs | 75 | 70 | 14 | 2820 | 112 | 50.35 | 3211 | 87.82 | 7 | 18 | 224 | 61 | 62 | 5 |
| T20Is | 72 | 68 | 8 | 2265 | 110* | 37.75 | 1628 | 139.12 | 2 | 22 | 191 | 99 | 23 | 1 |
| FC | 93 | 158 | 5 | 6760 | 337 | 44.18 | 12427 | 54.39 | 18 | 32 | 845 | 57 | 102 | 0 |
| List A | 127 | 122 | 19 | 4830 | 131 | 46.89 | 5905 | 81.79 | 11 | 31 | 393 | 92 | 100 | 9 |
| T20s | 212 | 199 | 32 | 7066 | 132* | 42.31 | 5202 | 135.83 | 6 | 61 | 598 | 292 | 97 | 8 |
Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 50 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ODIs | 75 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| T20Is | 72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| FC | 93 | 9 | 168 | 83 | 0 | – | – | – | 2.96 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| List A | 127 | 3 | 21 | 42 | 1 | 1/23 | 1/23 | 42.00 | 12.00 | 21.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 212 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
KL Rahul IPL Auction Price History
Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 11.00 Cr | Punjab |
| 2019 | 11.00 Cr | Punjab |
| 2020 | 11.00 Cr | Punjab |
| 2021 | 11.00 Cr | Punjab |
| 2022 | 17.00 Cr | Lucknow |
| 2023 | 17.00 Cr | Lucknow |
| 2024 | 17.00 Cr | Lucknow |
Favourites
| Cricketer(s) | Batsman– Rahul Dravid, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli Bowler– Dale Steyn, Mitchell Starc |
| Cricket Ground | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney |
| Athlete(s) | Usain Bolt (Sprinter), Roger Federer (Tennis) |
| Football Team | Manchester United F.C. |
| Footballer(s) | Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham |
| Food(s) | Sushi, Bhindi curry |
| Actor | Ranbir Kapoor |
| Actresses | Aishwarya Rai , Shraddha Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Scarlett Johansson |
| Music Band(s) | Linkin Park, Coldplay, The Script |
| Song(s) | “Firestone” by Kygo “Ghost Town” by Adam Lambert “Cold Water” by Major Lazer feat. Justin Bieber & MØ |
| Book | Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic |
| App | |
| Superhero | Batman |
| Car(s) | Batmobile, Maserati |
| Colour(s) | Black, White |
| Destination(s) | Greece, Spain |
KL Rahul’s Social Media Accounts
| KL Rahul👑 (@klrahul) | |
| K L Rahul (@klrahul) | |
| KL Rahul | |
| Wikipedia | KL Rahul |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About KL Rahul
- KL Rahul was born into a middle-class Mangalorean family with a teaching background.
- He has always been a sports junkie who throughout his childhood used to play all kinds of sports. His parents always encouraged him to play sports, but on one condition that if his grades will decrease, he will have to stop playing sports, and he never let it happen throughout his studies.KL Rahul with his mother during childhood
- His father was a huge fan of Sunil Gavaskar and mistook the name of his son ‘Rohan’ as ‘Rahul,’ and thus named his son Rahul.
- He used to be a mischievous yet reserved as a kid.
- His father used to be the secretary of his school, and he took it for granted by taking certain advantage such as by colouring his hair, wearing casual shoes, etc.
- At the age of 11, he started his rigorous cricketing practice at St Aloysius College Centenary Grounds in Mangaluru Central and Nehru Maidan as well. When he was below 14, he used to play both the Under-14 and Under-16 Karnataka teams.KL Rahul childhood pic with his coach Samuel Jayaraj
- In his early professional cricketing days, he wanted to grow long hair but his coach told him that you can have long hair after achieving certain things in your career.KL Rahul long hair
- He considers Rahul Dravid as his cricketing idol.
- He is counted amongst the most stylish Indian cricketers, who considers David Beckham as his style icon, who inspired him to get his first tattoo at the age of 15, and when his mother came to know about it, she got so upset with it that she didn’t talk with him for some time.
- At the age of 17, he moved to Bengaluru to pursue his cricket career and did his cricket training from the Karnataka State Cricket Academy (KSCA). The next year, he made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka in the 2010-11 season.KL Rahul at the age of 18
- He played for India Under-19 in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup.
- Rahul became the first cricketer from Karnataka to score a triple century in the Ranji Trophy after hitting 337 runs against Uttar Pradesh in a match of the the 2014-2015 Ranji Trophy season.
- While playing first-class cricket for Karnataka, he had bullied his junior teammate Karun Nair a lot.KL Rahul and Karun Nair (left)
- He had a disastrous Test debut against mighty Australia at Melbourne, where he scored only 3 and 1. He was low on confidence after the failure on his debut, but somehow managed to lift his spirits and in the next Test match at Sydney, he smashed his maiden ton (110 runs).
- SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) acquired him for Rs 1 crore during the auction for the 2014 IPL season.
- He started his cricket career as an orthodox Test batsman, but struggled to prove himself in the first few years of the IPL in 2014 and 2015. At that time, his childhood coach, Samuel Jayaraj, worked upon his technique and temperament to play aggressive cricket and in the IPL 2016, he came out all guns blazing as he scored 397 runs with a healthy strike rate of 146.
- Every time before going to the cricket field, he says “I’m the best” to himself to get motivated.
- If he wasn’t a cricketer, he would have been a soldier.
- He is quite spiritual and goes to a temple every Thursday.
- Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) acquired him for Rs 11 crore for the 2018 IPL season.
- On 16 May 2018, he was so disappointed following a close loss to ‘Mumbai Indians’ that despite being given the ‘Player of the Match’ award, he gave it to a fan of his in the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
- Rahul was appointed as an Assistant Manager at the Reserve Bank of India in 2018 on the recommendation of, SS Mundhra, the then Governor of RBI, SS Mundhra.
- In January 2022, he captained India for the first time in the 2nd Test against South Africa.
- He has suffered many injuries throughout his career. He missed the 2017 IPL season and 2017 Champions Trophy due to an injured left shoulder. He underwent surgery in Germany to treat the sports hernia diagnosed in June 2022.
- On 19 January 2022, he became only the second Indian to captain India before making 50 appearances in the ODI format; Mohinder Amarnath led India on his 35th appearance in ODIs in 1984.
- During the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia, KL Rahul scored 66 runs in 107 deliveries at a strike rate of 61.68 and hit only 1 four. After India’s loss, many fans and cricket commentators criticised Rahul for his slow innings and said that his innings put pressure on Virat Kohli.
- On 23 November 2023, Rahul took to Twitter and posted a message ‘Still Hurts’ with a heartbreak sign to release his emotions after the loss.KL Rahul’s Twitter post after losing the 2023 World Cup final
- KL Rahul often drinks alcoholic drinks such as beer during parties.KL Rahul drinking beer
- He is a passionate watch collector and owns three Rolex watches, the Day-Date 18k Rose Gold, Cosmograph Daytona, and Datejust Oyster Yellow Gold. He also has a Panerai Radiomir 1940, Hublot Classic Fusion Ceramic King Gold, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Stainless Steel, and Patek Philippe Nautilus 57121/A. KL Rahul wearing one of his expensive watches
- He is a dog lover and has many dogs.KL Rahul playing with his dog
- His preferred breakfast includes 4 eggs, avocado, 1 fruit and a protein shake. His best cheat meal includes biryani, gajar ka halwa, and ice cream
- In an interview, he said that he gets annoyed when people try to distract him by making gestures from behind the side screen.
- When asked which actor should play him in a film, he said that Ranbir Kapoor would portray him in the best way.
