KL Rahul is one of the most talented and versatile cricketers in the Indian cricket team. He is a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman who can play in any format and any position. He has scored centuries in all three formats of international cricket, becoming the third Indian to achieve this feat. He is also the fastest batsman in the world to score an international century across all three formats, taking only 20 innings to do so.
He is the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and plays for Karnataka in the domestic circuit. In this article, we will explore the biography and achievements of KL Rahul, from his birth and family background and cricket career. We will also look at his stats, awards, records, and honors.
KL Rahul Biography: Biodata
| Full Name | Kannur Lokesh Rahul |
| Birth | 18 April 1992 |
| Age | 31 years( as per 2024) |
| Nickname | KL |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Parents | Dr. K. N. Lokesh (Father)
Rajeshwari Lokesh (Mother) |
| Education | NITK English Medium School
pre-university at St. Aloysius College Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College in Bengaluru |
| Education Qualification | Bachalor of Commarce (Graduation) |
| Height | 5ft 11inch (180cm) |
| Profession | Cricketer |
| Batting style | Right-handed batter |
| Bowling style | Right-arm off-break |
| Jersey Number | Test:1 ODI:1 T20I:1 IPL: 1 |
| Spouse | Athiya Shetty |
| Sibling | Bhavna |
| Net Worth | INR 99 crore (as of 2024) |
| @ klrahul |
KL Rahul Biography: Early and Personal Life
KL Rahul was born Kannanur Lokesh Rahul on 18 April 1992 in Bangalore, Karnataka. His father, K. N. Lokesh, is a professor and former director at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) in Mangalore, and his mother, Rajeshwari, is a professor at Mangalore University. His father, who was a fan of cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, wanted to name his son after Gavaskar’s son but mistook Rohan Gavaskar’s name for Rahul. His mother tongue is Kannada.
Rahul grew up in Mangalore, completing his high school at NITK English Medium School and pre-university at St. Aloysius College. He started cricket training at the age of 10, and, two years later, started playing matches for both Bangalore United Cricket Club and his club in Mangalore. He was a part of India’s squad in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup and made his first-class debut later that year.
Rahul is married to actress Athiya Shetty, whom he met through mutual friends in 2020. They tied the knot in 2023 in a private ceremony in Mumbai. They are often seen together on social media and at various events.
KL Rahul Biography: Cricket Career
Domestic Career
Rahul had a decent debut season in 2010-11, scoring 378 runs in nine matches for Karnataka. He was left out of the squad for the next 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 with 1033 runs, which included three centuries, three nineties, and a Man-of-the-Match performance in the final. He helped Karnataka win the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 15 years.
KL Rahul Biography, Rahul continued his impressive form in the 2013-14 season, scoring 1158 runs in 10 matches, with four centuries and four fifties. He also scored a career-best 337 against Uttar Pradesh, the second-highest individual score in Ranji Trophy history. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the season, behind his teammate Karun Nair. He also played a crucial role in Karnataka’s successful title defense, scoring 188 in the final against Maharashtra.
Rahul missed most of the 2014-15 season due to his international commitments, but he still managed to score 399 runs in four matches, with two centuries and a fifty. He also scored his maiden triple century in first-class cricket, making 304 not out against Tamil Nadu. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer for Karnataka, who won their third consecutive Ranji Trophy title.
Rahul has been a consistent performer for Karnataka in the domestic circuit, scoring over 6000 runs in 93 first-class matches, with 18 centuries and 32 fifties. He has an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of 54.39. He has also scored over 4800 runs in 127 List A matches, with 11 centuries and 31 fifties. He has an average of 46.89 and a strike rate of 81.79. He has also scored over 7000 runs in 212 T20 matches, with six centuries and 61 fifties. He has an average of 42.31 and a strike rate of 135.83.
IPL Career
Rahul attracted plenty of attention at the IPL auction in 2014 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-batsman, but his contributions with the bat were steady rather than spectacular. He scored 142 runs in 11 matches, with a highest score of 44.
He was traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016, where he had a breakthrough season, scoring 397 runs in 14 matches, with four fifties and a strike rate of 146.49. He formed a formidable opening partnership with Virat Kohli and helped RCB reach the final, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He missed the 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, but he came back stronger in 2018 when he was bought by Punjab Kings for a whopping Rs. 11 crore (US$ 1.8 million approx.), making him the most expensive Indian player of the auction. He proved his worth by scoring 659 runs in 14 matches, with six fifties and a strike rate of 158.41. He also scored the fastest IPL fifty, off just 14 balls, against Delhi Capitals.
He continued his prolific form in the 2019 season, scoring 593 runs in 14 matches, with one century and six fifties. He also took over the captaincy of Punjab Kings from Ravichandran Ashwin and led them to a sixth-place finish. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the season, behind David Warner.
He had an even better season in 2020, scoring 670 runs in 14 matches, with one century and five fifties. He also won the Orange Cap, awarded to the highest run-scorer of the season. He also led the Punjab Kings to a fifth-place finish, just missing out on the playoffs.
As their captain and marquee player, he joined the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants in 2022. He scored 416 runs in 14 matches, with one century and two fifties. He also led Lucknow to their maiden IPL title, defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final.
Rahul is one of the most successful and consistent batsmen in the IPL, scoring over 4100 runs in 118 matches, with four centuries and 33 fifties. He has an average of 46.78 and a strike rate of 134.42. He is also a reliable wicketkeeper, with 97 catches and eight stumpings.
KL Rahul Biography: International Career
ODI Career
Rahul made his ODI debut in 2016 against Zimbabwe, where he became the first and only Indian cricketer to score a century on debut in 50-over cricket. He scored an unbeaten 100 off 115 balls and also took two catches behind the stumps. He followed it up with another half-century in the next match, making 63 off 70 balls. He was the player of the series, scoring 196 runs in three matches, with an average of 196 and a strike rate of 89.09.
Rahul had a breakthrough year in 2019, scoring 1039 runs in 23 matches, with three centuries and six fifties. He also took over the wicketkeeping duties from Rishabh Pant and impressed with his glove work. He scored his second ODI century against Australia in Rajkot, making 108 off 104 balls. He also scored his third ODI century against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, making 112 off 113 balls. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the year, behind Rohit Sharma, and helped India win the series against Australia, West Indies, and New Zealand.
Rahul continued his prolific form in 2020, where he scored 443 runs in nine matches, with one century and three fifties. He also won the Orange Cap in the IPL, scoring 670 runs in 14 matches, with one century and five fifties. He also led the Punjab Kings to a fifth-place finish, just missing out on the playoffs.
Rahul had a mixed year in 2021, scoring 452 runs in 10 matches, with one century and two fifties. He also captained India in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, in the absence of Virat Kohli, and led them to a 2-1 victory. He also scored his eighth ODI century against England in Pune, making 108 not out off 114 balls. He also led Punjab Kings to a sixth-place finish in the IPL, scoring 331 runs in seven matches, with one century and two fifties.
Rahul had a successful year in 2022, scoring 884 runs in 18 matches, with two centuries and six fifties. He also joined the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, as their captain and marquee player. He scored 416 runs in 14 matches, with one century and two fifties. He also led Lucknow to their maiden IPL title, defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final.
Rahul is one of the most consistent and successful batsmen in the ODI format, scoring over 6000 runs in 113 matches, with 11 centuries and 35 fifties. He has an average of 54.54 and a strike rate of 88.76. He is also a reliable wicketkeeper, with 58 catches and five stumpings.
Test Career
Rahul made his Test debut in 2014 against Australia in the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne. He had a forgettable debut, scoring only 4 and 1, and batting at number six. He was given another chance in the Sydney Test, where he opened the innings and scored his maiden Test century, making 110 in the second innings. He became the first Indian opener to score a century on debut in Australia, and the second Indian to score a century on debut as an opener, after Shikhar Dhawan.
Rahul had a mixed tour of Sri Lanka in 2015, where he scored his second Test century in the first Test, but also suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the second Test. He returned for the third Test but was dismissed for 2 and 2. He also made his ODI debut on the same tour but did not get to bat.
Rahul had a better tour of the West Indies in 2016, where he scored his third Test century in the second Test, making 158 in the first innings. He also scored 50 and 28 not out in the third Test, helping India win the series 2-0.
Rahul had a phenomenal tour of Australia in 2018-19, where he scored his fourth Test century in the first Test, making 149 in the fourth innings. He also scored 44 and 50 in the third Test, and 37 and 149 in the fifth Test. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the series, behind Cheteshwar Pujara, and helped India win their first-ever Test series in Australia.
Rahul had a mixed tour of England in 2021, where he scored his fifth Test century in the first Test, making 129 in the first innings. He also scored 84 in the second Test but failed to cross 20 in the next three Tests. He also scored his eighth ODI century in the second match of the series, making 108 not out off 104 balls. He also scored his second T20I century in the first match of the series, making 101 not out off 54 balls. He was the player of the series in both the ODI and T20I series and helped India win both the series 2-1.
Rahul had a successful tour of South Africa in 2022, where he scored his sixth Test century in the second Test, making 123 in the first innings. He also scored 86 and 72 in the third Test and helped India draw the series 1-1. He also scored his ninth ODI century in the first match of the series, making 102 off 97 balls. He also scored his third T20I century in the third match of the series, making 100 not out off 46 balls. He was the player of the series in all three formats and helped India win the ODI and T20I series 3-0 and 2-1 respectively.
Rahul had a tough tour of New Zealand in 2023, where he struggled to score runs in the Test series, scoring only 102 runs in four innings, with a highest score of 44. He also failed to make an impact in the ODI series, scoring only 76 runs in three innings, with a highest score of 39. He also missed the T20I series due to a hamstring injury.
Rahul had a good tour of England in 2023, where he scored his seventh Test century in the fourth Test, making 149 in the second innings. He also scored 60 and 46 in the fifth Test and helped India win the series 3-1. He also scored his tenth ODI century in the first match of the series, making 103 off 92 balls. He also scored his fourth T20I century in the second match of the series, making 102 not out off 56 balls. He was the player of the series in the Test and T20I series and helped India win the ODI and T20I series 2-1 and 3-0 respectively.
Rahul had a mixed tour of Australia in 2023-24, where he scored his eighth Test century in the first Test, making 101 in the first innings. He also scored 76 and 51 in the second and third Tests but failed to score in the fourth Test. He also scored his eleventh ODI century in the second match of the series, making 104 off 96 balls. He also scored his fifth T20I century in the first match of the series, making 100 not out off 48 balls. He was the player of the series in the ODI and T20I series and helped India win the ODI and T20I series 3-0 and 2-1 respectively.
Rahul is one of the most prolific and consistent batsmen in the Test format, scoring over 7000 runs in 77 matches, with eight centuries and 25 fifties. He has an average of 42.57 and a strike rate of 55.67. He is also a handy wicketkeeper, with 54 catches and no stumpings.
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T20 Career
Rahul made his T20 debut in 2016 against Zimbabwe, where he scored an unbeaten 63 in the first match, and followed it up with a 33 in the second match. He also scored his maiden T20 century in the first match against West, making 110 not out off 51 balls. He became the first Indian to score a century in all three formats of international cricket, after Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma.
Rahul had a breakthrough year in 2018, scoring 660 runs in 17 matches, with two centuries and three fifties. He also scored his second T20 century against England in Manchester, making 101 not out off 54 balls. He also scored his third T20 century against West Indies in Lucknow, making 111 not out off 61 balls. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the year, behind Babar Azam, and helped India win the series against South Africa, England, and West Indies.
Rahul continued his prolific form in 2019, scoring 356 runs in 11 matches, with one century and two fifties. He also scored his fourth T20 century against Sri Lanka in Indore, making 102 not out off 56 balls. He also won the Orange Cap in the IPL, scoring 593 runs in 14 matches, with one century and six fifties. He also took over the captaincy of Punjab Kings from Ravichandran Ashwin and led them to a sixth-place finish.
Rahul had a mixed year in 2020, scoring 404 runs in 10 matches, with no centuries and three fifties. He also missed the T20I series against Australia due to a shoulder injury. He also led Punjab Kings to a fifth-place finish in the IPL, scoring 670 runs in 14 matches, with one century and five fifties. He also won the Orange Cap for the second time, becoming the first player to do so.
Rahul had a successful year in 2021, scoring 567 runs in 14 matches, with one century and four fifties. He also scored his fifth T20 century against England in Ahmedabad, making 100 not out off 48 balls. He also led India in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, in the absence of Virat Kohli, and led them to a 2-1 victory. He also led Punjab Kings to a sixth-place finish in the IPL, scoring 331 runs in seven matches, with one century and two fifties.
Rahul had a good year in 2022, scoring 512 runs in 12 matches, with no centuries and five fifties. He also joined the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, as their captain and marquee player. He scored 416 runs in 14 matches, with one century and two fifties. He also led Lucknow to their maiden IPL title, defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final.
KL Rahul Biography, Rahul had a phenomenal year in 2023, scoring 789 runs in 16 matches, with two centuries and six fifties. He also scored his sixth T20 century against South Africa in Cape Town, making 100 not out off 46 balls. He also scored his seventh T20 century against England in Birmingham, making 102 not out off 57 balls. He also scored his eighth T20 century against Australia in Sydney, making 100 not out off 49 balls. He was the highest run-scorer of the year and helped India win the series against South Africa, England, and Australia.
Rahul is one of the most successful and consistent batsmen in the T20 format, scoring over 4000 runs in 97 matches, with eight centuries and 32 fifties. He has an average of 45.16 and a strike rate of 144.32. He is also a reliable wicketkeeper, with 21 catches and 10 stumpings.
KL Rahul Biography: Stats
Batting Summary
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Highest Score | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s | |
| Test | 50 | 86 | 2863 | 34.08 | 199 | 52.23 | 14 | 8 | |
| ODI | 75 | 70 | 2820 | 50.35 | 112 | 87.82 | 18 | 7 | |
| T20I | 72 | 68 | 2265 | 37.75 | 110* | 139.12 | 22 | 2 | |
| IPL | 89 | 84 | 3033 | 46.66 | 132* | 139.65 | 25 | 2 | |
Wicket-keeping Summary
| Format | Matches | Innings | Catches | Stumpings | Run-outs |
| ODI | 75 | 70 | 62 | 5 | 1 |
| Test | 50 | 86 | 62 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 72 | 68 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| IPL | 88 | 88 | 97 | 8 | 2 |
KL Rahul Biography: Awards and Honours
Rahul has won several awards and accolades for his outstanding performances in cricket. Some of them are:
- ICC Test Team of the Year: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
- ICC ODI Team of the Year: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
- ICC T20I Team of the Year: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year: 2019, 2021
- ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year: 2021, 2022, 2023
- ICC Men’s T20I Player of the Year: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year: 2019, 2021, 2023
- BCCI Polly Umrigar Award: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
- Arjuna Award: 2019
- Padma Shri: 2021
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: 2023
KL Rahul Biography: Records
- The fastest batsman in the world to score an international century across all three formats, taking only 20 innings to do so.
- The third Indian to score a century in all three formats of international cricket, after Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma.
- The first Indian opener to score a century on debut in Australia, and the second Indian to score a century on debut as an opener, after Shikhar Dhawan.
- The second-highest individual score in Ranji Trophy history, scoring 337 against Uttar Pradesh in 2013-14.
- The fastest IPL fifty, off just 14 balls, against Delhi Capitals in 2018.
- The first player to win the Orange Cap twice in the IPL, in 2020 and 2022.
- The first player to score five T20I centuries, and the second player to score four T20I centuries in a calendar year, after Colin Munro.
- The first player to score over 4000 runs in T20Is, and the second player to score over 1000 runs in T20Is in a calendar year, after Virat Kohli.
- The first player to win the Player of the series award in all three formats in a single tour, against South Africa in 2022.
- The first player to score over 6000 runs in ODIs as a wicketkeeper-batsman, and the second to score over 1000 runs in ODIs as a wicketkeeper-batsman in a calendar year, after Kumar Sangakkara.
Rahul has also received several honors and recognition for his contribution to cricket and society. Some of them are:
- He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2021.
- He was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) in 2022.
- He was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of UNICEF in 2023.
- He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honor of India, in 2024.