Full Name: Kannur Lokesh Rahul
Nickname(s): KL, Rahul, King KL
Date of Birth: April 18, 1992
Place of Birth: Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Nationality: Indian
Profession: Cricketer
Batting Style: Right-Handed
Bowling Style: Right-arm Medium
Role in Team: Wicketkeeper-Batsman / Opening Batsman
Jersey Number: 1
Net Worth: 75 crore
Early Life & Education:
KL Rahul was born into a family of intellectually accomplished people in Mangalore, Karnataka. He has a mother named Rajeshwari Lokesh who teaches at Mangalore University and a father named Dr. KN Lokesh who is a professor and former director at the National Institute of Technology (NIT).
Rahul’s love for cricket began at a young age, and he trained at the St. Aloysius Cricket Academy in Mangalore before relocating to Bangalore to receive more specialised instruction. He attended Jain University, juggling his desire to play cricket with his studies.
Cricket Career:
KL Rahul IPL factfile
KL Since making his IPL debut in 2013, Rahul has represented four different teams. In 2014 and 2015, he played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after spending his debut season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). After returning to RCB in 2016, he missed the 2017 IPL due to an injury. From 2018 to 2021, he played for Punjab Kings (PBKS, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab or KXIP). In the 2022 IPL, Rahul joined the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Rahul expanded his list to include a fifth team in 2025. The Delhi Capitals purchased him for INR 14 crore (about USD 1.67 million) at the auction.
Rahul is an all-around batsman who began in the middle order before rising to the top. He also takes wickets in the IPL and has become one of the league’s most reliable run scorers, scoring over 590 runs in each of the 2018–2022 seasons.
Rahul broke the record for the fastest half-century in IPL history in 2018 as he hammered a fifty off 14 balls against the Delhi Daredevils.
Rahul earned the Orange Cap in the 2020 Indian Premier League for scoring 670 runs during the season.
In the IPL 2020, Rahul was named captain of the Punjab Kings, his maiden IPL captaincy. He commanded the team for two years before joining LSG, where he was named captain once more. Despite playing just nine games in the 2023 IPL due to a thigh injury, Rahul led LSG to playoff qualification in their first two IPL seasons.
Rahul is tied with Virat Kohli as the Indian batter with the most hundreds in the Indian Premier League, having reached four hundred before the 2025 season. Shubman Gill has four IPL hundreds as well.
Debut Matches:
- First-Class Debut: 2010 (Karnataka in Ranji Trophy)
- IPL Debut: 2013 (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
- Test Debut: December 26, 2014, vs Australia (Melbourne)
- ODI Debut: June 11, 2016, vs Zimbabwe
- T20I Debut: June 18, 2016, vs Zimbabwe
Major Achievements & Records:
- First Indian to score a century on ODI debut (100 vs Zimbabwe, 2016)*
- Fastest fifty in IPL history (14 balls vs Delhi Capitals, 2018)
- First Indian batsman to score a century in all three formats in international cricket
- Highest individual score by an Indian in a T20I (110 vs West Indies, 2016)*
- Second-fastest Indian to score 2000 T20I runs
- Scored 199 in a Test match (vs England, 2016)
Captaincy Record:
- IPL Captaincy: Led Punjab Kings (2020-2021) & Lucknow Super Giants (2022-Present)
- India Captain (Occasional): Led India in ODIs & Tests in absence of Rohit Sharma
- Vice-captain of the Indian Test team (2021-2023)
Personal Life:
- Father: Dr. KN Lokesh (Professor)
- Mother: Rajeshwari Lokesh (Professor)
- Wife: Athiya Shetty (Actress, daughter of Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, married in 2023)
Physical Stats:
- Height: 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm)
- Weight: Approx. 75 kg (165 lbs)
- Eye Color: Brown
- Hair Color: Black
Awards & Honors:
- Arjuna Award (2020) – Recognizing his contributions to Indian cricket
- Fastest Indian to 1000 T20I runs
- IPL Orange Cap Contender (2018, 2020, 2021)
- Named India’s Vice-Captain in Limited Overs Cricket (2021)
IPL Career:
- Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore (2013), Sunrisers Hyderabad (2014-2015), Punjab Kings (2018-2021), Lucknow Super Giants (2022-Present)
- Captaincy: Led Punjab Kings & Lucknow Super Giants
- Highest Score: 132* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2020) – Highest score by an Indian in IPL history
Legacy & Influence:
One of the most technically proficient batters of his generation is KL Rahul. His versatility makes him an invaluable addition to Indian cricket.
