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. A right-handed batter and occasional wicket-keeper, he represents India in all formats of the game. In domestic cricket, he plays for Karnataka, and in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he represents Delhi Capitals. He is known for his elegant batting style and versatility across different batting positions.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1997: First Bilateral Loss Against Sri Lanka Since 1997

In 1997, India suffered its first bilateral series loss against Sri Lanka since 1997, losing the series 2-0. KL Rahul made his comeback to the ODI team, scoring 31 and 0 in the first two ODIs and was dropped from the final ODI.

2010: First-Class Cricket Debut and U-19 World Cup

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: Indian Premier League (IPL) Debut

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

2014: Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad

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

2014: Test Debut at Melbourne Cricket Ground

In 2014, Rahul made his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, replacing Rohit Sharma. He scored 3 and 1 in his debut. In the next test at Sydney he opened the innings and made his maiden international century, scoring 110 runs.

2014: International Debut vs Australia

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

2014: Karnataka's First Triple-Centurion

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

2014: Duleep Trophy Final Performance

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 India Tour of West Indies

In July 2016, Rahul was named in the squad for India tour of West Indies. During the second test series, Rahul scored 158 runs, his then-highest score in test cricket.

2016: Return to RCB and Successful Season

In 2016, KL Rahul returned to RCB and finished the season as the 11th-highest run-scorer and RCB's third-highest, with 397 runs from 14 matches. He was named as wicketkeeper in the ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI.

2016: One-Day International Debut vs Zimbabwe

In 2016, Rahul debuted in One-Day International (ODI) against Zimbabwe, scoring his first century and becoming the first Indian to score an ODI century on debut. On the same tour, he also made his T20I debut.

2016: ODI and T20I Debuts in Zimbabwe Tour

In 2016, Rahul was named in the squad to tour Zimbabwe. He made his ODI debut and became the first Indian cricketer to score a century on an ODI debut. Rahul was named the man of the series. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut later in the same tour. He scored his first T20I century against West Indies with 46 balls and ended up scoring an unbeaten 110 off just 51 balls.

2016: Selected for England Test Series

In 2016, Rahul was selected for the Test series against England but was injured during training and ruled out of the third test. He made his comeback in the fourth test but failed to make an impact, later scoring his career-best 199 runs in the fifth test.

July 2018: Second T20 International Ton Against England

On 3 July 2018, Rahul scored his second T20 International ton against England. He is also the first Indian batsman to be dismissed hit-wicket in T20Is.

2018: Bought by Kings XI Punjab and Fastest IPL 50

In 2018, KL Rahul was bought by Kings XI Punjab for INR 11 crore in the IPL auction. 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: Named in India's Squad 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 with two fifties and one hundred in the tournament.

December 2019: Milestone in T20I Cricket and Performance Against West Indies

In December 2019, during the first T20I match against the West Indies, Rahul scored his 1,000th run in T20I cricket. He also scored 62 (40) in the first T20I against West Indies and scored 91 (56) in the third T20I, for which he was the Man of the Match. Additionally, he scored his 3rd ODI century in the 2nd ODI against West Indies.

December 2019: Announced as Captain for KXIP

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

2019: Named Vice-Captain and Maiden IPL Century

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

2019: Man of the Series in New Zealand T20I Series

In 2019, during India's tour of New Zealand, 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.

September 2020: Highest Score by an Indian in IPL and Orange Cap

In September 2020, during a match against RCB, KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 132*, which was then the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an IPL match. He won the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs in the season (670).

October 2020: Named India's Vice Captain for Australia Series

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

February 2021: Missed Test Series Against England

In February 2021, Rahul missed the home Test series against England. He returned for the T20I and ODI series, regaining form in the ODI series with a match-winning 62* and a century partnership with Krunal Pandya.

September 2021: T20 World Cup Squad and Vice-Captain Appointment

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

December 2021: Test Vice-Captaincy and ODI Captaincy Appointment

In December 2021, Rahul was named as India's Test vice-captain for the away series against South Africa and as the ODI captain for the One Day series, earning him the Man of the Match award after scoring 123 in the first test match against South Africa.

2021: Retained as Captain for KXIP

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 Tour of England Performance

In 2021, Rahul was named to India's test squad for their tour of England, where he opened alongside Rohit Sharma due to injuries of other players. He scored 84 and 26 in the first test and 129 at Lords, earning the Man of the Match award.

January 2022: Test and ODI Captaincy Debut Against South Africa

In January 2022, Rahul captained India for the first time in Test cricket, becoming the 34th Test captain of India and scored a half-century. Later, in the first ODI against South Africa, he made his debut in ODI captaincy and became the 26th ODI captain of India.

February 2022: 6000 Runs in International Cricket

In February 2022, Rahul completed 6000 runs in international cricket across all formats during the second ODI against the West Indies. In the same ODI, Rahul sustained an upper left hamstring strain and was ruled out of the next ODI as well as the upcoming T20Is series against the West Indies.

April 2022: Centuries for Lucknow Super Giants

In April 2022, KL Rahul scored his first century for Lucknow (103* off 60) against MI. Eight days later, he followed this up with another unbeaten century (103* off 62) against the same opponent. He led his team to play-offs, scoring 616 runs with an average of 51.33.

2022: Stand-in Captain for 2022 Asia Cup

In 2022, Rahul was the stand-in captain for the team during the last match played by team India in the 2022 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 Match Century Against South Africa

In December 2023, during the first test match against South Africa, KL Rahul scored his 8th test match century, helping India post 245 runs in the first innings. He scored 101 runs, but India lost the match by an innings and 32 runs.

2023: Ruled Out of IPL Season Due to Injury

During the 2023 season, KL Rahul was retained as the captain for Lucknow Super Giants but was ruled out of the tournament midway after sustaining an injury while fielding in a match against RCB.

2023: World Cup 2023 Campaign

In 2023, KL Rahul had a mixed performance during the World Cup. He scored an unbeaten 97 against Australia. Against the Netherlands, he made the fastest century by an Indian batter in a World Cup, reaching the milestone in 62 deliveries. In the final against Australia, Rahul top scored with 66 runs, but India lost the match.

2023: Test Series Against England

In 2023, KL Rahul scored 86 and 22 runs in the first test match of England's tour of India. However, he missed the rest of the series due to an injury.

2023: Return to Cricket in Asia Cup

In 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.

2023: Named in Squad for 2023 Cricket World Cup

In 2023, 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: 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 after the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Rahul won the series 2-1, becoming the second captain after Virat Kohli to win an ODI series in South Africa.

January 2024: International Centuries Scored

As of January 2024, KL Rahul has scored 17 international centuries: 8 in Test cricket, 7 in One-Day Internationals, and 2 in T20Is. 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 the 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. Rahul scored a quick-fire 68 off 62 deliveries in the second test to help India secure a victory. He was then named in the Test squad against New Zealand, but after scores of 0 and 12 in the first test, he was dropped from the starting 11 for the remaining series.

2024: Axed from T20 World Cup Squad

In 2024, KL Rahul was axed from the T20 World Cup squad.

2024: 2024 IPL Season and Public Criticism

In the 2024 IPL season, KL Rahul scored 520 runs with 4 half-centuries but could not lead his team to the play-offs. He was publicly criticised by the owner of Lucknow Super Giants after a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad where SRH chased a target of 166 in just 9.4 overs.

2025: Released by LSG and Bought by Delhi Capitals

In 2025, KL Rahul was released by the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL Mega Auction. Subsequently, in the 2025 IPL Mega Auction, he was bought by Delhi Capitals for 14 crores.