Career Timeline of KL Rahul: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how KL Rahul made an impact.

Kannaur Lokesh Rahul, commonly known as KL Rahul, is an Indian international cricketer renowned as a right-handed wicket-keeper batter. At the domestic level, he represents Karnataka, and in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he plays for Delhi Capitals. He has been a key player for the Indian national team across all formats of the game.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

2010: First-Class Cricket Debut for Karnataka

In 2010, Rahul made his first-class cricket debut for Karnataka and represented his country at the 2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

2013: IPL Debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore

In 2013, KL Rahul made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

2013: Indian Premier League Debut

In 2013, Rahul made his debut in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

2014: Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad

Ahead of the 2014 IPL season, KL Rahul was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1 crore.

2014: Test Debut and Maiden International Century

In 2014, Rahul made his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, replacing Rohit Sharma. He scored his maiden international century in the next Test at Sydney, scoring 110 runs.

2014: International Debut

In 2014, Rahul made his international debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

2014: Triple Century and Ranji Trophy Performance

In 2014, after returning home from the Test series, Rahul scored 337 against Uttar Pradesh, becoming Karnataka's first triple-centurion. He also scored 188 in the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu.

2014: Duleep Trophy Performance and Selection to Indian Test Squad

In 2014, playing for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final, Rahul scored 185 and 130, earning him the player of the match award and selection to the Indian Test squad for the Australian tour.

July 2016: Named in Squad for West Indies Tour

In July 2016, Rahul was named in the squad for India's tour of West Indies. In the second series test, Rahul scored 158 runs.

September 2016: Named in Squad Against New Zealand

In September 2016, Rahul was named in the squad for the home series against New Zealand but was later replaced due to an injury.

2016: Returns to RCB

In 2016, KL Rahul returned to RCB and scored 397 runs from 14 matches. He was named as wicketkeeper in the ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI.

2016: ODI and T20I Debuts, T20I Century

In 2016, Rahul debuted in ODIs against Zimbabwe, scoring an unbeaten 100* and becoming the first Indian to score a century on ODI debut. He also debuted in T20Is and later scored a T20I century off 46 balls against West Indies.

2016: ODI Debut and First Century

In 2016, Rahul made his One-Day International debut against Zimbabwe, scoring his first century by hitting a six on the last ball to reach 100* (115). He became the first Indian cricketer to score an ODI century on his debut.

2016: Selected for England Test Series

In 2016, Rahul was selected in the squad against England in the Test series, but was injured while training. He scored his career-best 199 runs in the fifth and final test of the series.

July 2018: Second T20 International Century

On 3 July 2018, Rahul scored his second T20 International ton against England.

2018: Bought by Kings XI Punjab

In the 2018 IPL auction, KL Rahul was bought by Kings XI Punjab for INR 11 crore. He scored the fastest 50 in IPL history, reaching the milestone in 14 balls. He scored 659 runs in the season and was named in the Cricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI.

April 2019: Selection for 2019 Cricket World Cup

In April 2019, Rahul was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He scored 361 runs in the tournament.

December 2019: 1,000th T20I Run and Performance Against West Indies

In December 2019, Rahul scored his 1,000th run in T20I cricket during the first match against the West Indies. He also scored 91 in the third T20I and his 3rd ODI century in the 2nd ODI against West Indies.

December 2019: Named Captain of Kings XI Punjab

On December 19, 2019, KL Rahul was announced as captain of Kings XI Punjab for the 2020 season.

2019: Man of the Series in T20I Against New Zealand

During India's tour of New Zealand in 2019, Rahul was declared man of the series in the five-match T20I series for scoring 224 runs. He was also the stand-in captain in the 5th T20I.

2019: Named Vice-Captain and Scores Maiden IPL Century

In the 2019 season, KL Rahul was named as vice-captain for KXIP. He scored his maiden IPL century, with 100 not out off 64 balls against Mumbai Indians, and scored 593 runs in the season.

January 2020: Man of the Match Against Australia

In January 2020, Rahul made 80 (52) in the second ODI against Australia and was rewarded as the man of the match.

September 2020: Scores Unbeaten 132 Against RCB

In the match against RCB on September 24, 2020, KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 132*, then the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an IPL match. He won the Orange Cap and was declared the Dream11 Gamechanger of the Season.

October 2020: Vice Captain for Series Against Australia

In October 2020, Rahul was named as India's vice captain for the ODI and T20I series against Australia. He scored 77 in the second ODI and 51 in the first T20I.

September 2021: 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and Vice Captaincy

In September 2021, Rahul was named to India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where he was the highest run scorer for India. After Virat Kohli stepped down as T20I captain, Rahul was appointed the vice-captain of the team in T20Is.

December 2021: Test and ODI Vice-Captaincy, Man of the Match Against South Africa

In December 2021, Rahul was named as India's Test vice-captain for the series against South Africa. He was also named as the ODI captain for the One Day series of the same tour. He scored 123 in the first test match against South Africa and was awarded the Man of the Match award.

2021: Retained as Captain

In 2021, KL Rahul was retained as the captain of Kings XI Punjab, and scored 626 runs, finishing as the team's highest scorer in the season.

2021: Test Squad for England Tour

In 2021, Rahul was named to India's test squad for their tour of England. He scored 84 and 26 in the first test and 129 in the second Test, and was awarded the man of the match.

January 2022: Test and ODI Captaincy Debut

In January 2022, Rahul captained India for the first time in Test cricket and became the 34th Test captain of India. He also made his debut in ODI captaincy and became the 26th ODI captain of India.

February 2022: 6000 Runs in International Cricket and Hamstring Strain

In February 2022, Rahul scored 49 runs against the West Indies, completing 6000 runs in international cricket. He sustained an upper left hamstring strain during the same ODI.

April 2022: Centuries for Lucknow Super Giants

In April 2022, KL Rahul scored his first century for Lucknow (103* off 60) against MI. He followed this up with another unbeaten century (103* off 62) against the same opponent eight days later. He scored 616 runs with an average of 51.33 scoring 2 centuries in the season.

2022: Stand-in Captain Against Afghanistan

In 2022, Rahul was the stand-in captain for the team during the last match played by team India in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan.

2022: Drafted by Lucknow Super Giants

Prior to the 2022 season, KL Rahul was drafted by Lucknow Super Giants as their captain for INR 17 crore, making him the joint highest paid cricketer in the IPL alongside Virat Kohli.

December 2023: Test Century Against South Africa

In December 2023, during the first test match against South Africa, KL Rahul scored his 8th test century, scoring 101 runs. Despite Rahul's efforts, India lost the match.

2023: Selection for 2023 Cricket World Cup

Following a successful Asia Cup, Rahul was named in the squad for 2023 Cricket World Cup. Ahead of the World Cup, Rahul was named as the captain for first two ODIs for the series against Australia.

2023: Test Series Against England

In 2023, KL Rahul scored 86 and 22 runs in the first test match against England, which India lost. He subsequently missed the rest of the series due to an injury.

2023: World Cup Campaign

In 2023, KL Rahul started his World Cup campaign with an unbeaten 97 against Australia after India lost 3 early wickets. In the final against Australia, Rahul scored 66 runs off 107 balls, top-scoring for India, though his slow innings was later criticised.

2023: Ruled out of IPL Season Due to Injury

In the 2023 season, KL Rahul was retained as the captain for Lucknow Super Giants, but was ruled out of the tournament mid way after sustaining an injury.

2023: Captain for ODI series against South Africa

On November 30, 2023, KL Rahul was announced as the captain for the 3-match ODI series against South Africa, as Rohit Sharma took a break. Rahul won the series 2-1, becoming the second captain after Virat Kohli to win an ODI series in South Africa.

2023: Return to Cricket in Asia Cup 2023

Rahul made his return to cricket in Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan. Rahul scored an unbeaten century on his return, scoring 111 off 106 balls.

January 2024: International Centuries

As of January 2024, KL Rahul has scored 17 international centuries. He is the only Indian player to score a century on his ODI debut and the first batsman to score a century in T20Is while playing at 4th or lower batting position.

September 2024: Test series against Bangladesh

In September 2024, KL Rahul was named in the squad for the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh. He scored 68 runs in the second test to help India secure a victory.