History of KL Rahul in Timeline
Kannaur Lokesh Rahul, commonly known as KL Rahul, is an Indian cricketer renowned as a right-handed wicket-keeper batter. He represents the Indian national team and is slated to play for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. In domestic cricket, he plays for Karnataka. He is a prominent figure in Indian cricket, known for his batting prowess and wicket-keeping skills.
1997: India Lost Bilateral Series Against Sri Lanka
In 1997, India lost the series against Sri Lanka 2-0. Rahul made his comeback from injury to the ODI team against Sri Lanka where he scored 31 and 0 in the first two ODIs and was dropped from the final ODI of the series. This was India's first bilateral series loss against Sri Lanka since 1997.
2010: First-Class Cricket Debut
In 2010, Rahul made his first-class cricket debut for Karnataka and represented his country at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
2013: Indian Premier League Debut
In 2013, Rahul made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
2014: Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad
Ahead of the 2014 IPL season, Rahul was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1 crore.
2014: Triple Century and Ranji Trophy Success
In 2014, Rahul became Karnataka's first triple-centurion and scored 188 in the Ranji Trophy final, averaging 93.11 for the season.
2014: Test Debut and Maiden Century
In 2014, Rahul made his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and scored his maiden international century in the next test at Sydney.
2014: Duleep Trophy Performance and Test Squad Selection
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 a spot in the Indian Test squad for the Australian tour.
June 2015: Named in Squad for Bangladesh Tour
In June 2015, Rahul was named in the squad for the Indian tour of Bangladesh but withdrew due to dengue.
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, where he scored his then-highest score in test cricket.
September 2016: Injury During Home Series Against New Zealand
In September 2016, Rahul was named in the squad for the home series against New Zealand but was replaced due to an injury.
2016: ODI and T20I Debuts and Achievements
In 2016, Rahul debuted in ODIs against Zimbabwe, scoring a century and becoming the first Indian to do so on debut. He also made his T20I debut and later scored a T20I century against West Indies.
2016: One-Day International Debut
In 2016, Rahul made his One-Day International debut against Zimbabwe, scoring his first century.
2016: Returned to RCB and Finished as High Run-Scorer
In 2016, Rahul returned to RCB ahead of the season, finishing as the 11th-highest run-scorer and RCB's third, with 397 runs from 14 matches. He was named as wicketkeeper in the ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI.
2016: Selected for England Test Series
In 2016, Rahul was selected in the squad against England in the Test series but faced injury and made a comeback, ultimately scoring his career-best 199 runs.
2017: Missed IPL Season Due to Injury
In 2017, Rahul missed the IPL season due to a shoulder injury.
July 2018: Second T20I Century
On 3 July 2018, Rahul scored his second T20 International century against England.
2018: Bought by Kings XI Punjab and Scored Fastest 50 in IPL History
In the 2018 IPL auction, Rahul was bought by Kings XI Punjab for INR 11 crore. During the team's first match, he scored the fastest 50 in IPL history, reaching the milestone in 14 balls. He scored a total of 659 runs in the season and was named in the Cricinfo and Cricbuzz IPL XI.
January 2019: Suspension and Reinstatement by BCCI
In January 2019, Rahul, along with Hardik Pandya, was suspended by the BCCI for controversial comments, but later had the suspension lifted and rejoined India A matches.
April 2019: Named in Squad for 2019 Cricket World Cup
In April 2019, Rahul was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup and scored 361 runs in the tournament.
December 2019: T20I and ODI Achievements Against West Indies
In December 2019, Rahul scored his 1,000th run in T20I cricket and scored 91 (56) in the third T20I against West Indies, earning him the Man of the Match. He also scored his 3rd ODI century in the 2nd ODI against West Indies.
December 2019: Announced as Captain for 2020 Season
On December 19, 2019, Rahul was announced as the captain for the 2020 season, after Ravichandran Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals.
2019: Named Vice-Captain and Scored Maiden IPL Century
In 2019, KXIP retained Rahul, naming him as vice-captain. He scored his maiden IPL century, not out on 100 off 64 balls against Mumbai Indians, and scored 593 runs in the season.
2019: Man of the Series and Stand-in Captaincy
In the 2019 tour of New Zealand, Rahul was declared man of the series in the T20I series and served as stand-in captain in the 5th T20I.
January 2020: Man of the Match Performance Against Australia
In January 2020, Rahul scored 80 (52) batting at number five in the second ODI against Australia and was rewarded as the man of the match.
September 2020: Scored Unbeaten 132* Against RCB and Won Orange Cap
In September 2020, during a match against RCB, 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) and was declared the Dream11 Gamechanger of the Season.
February 2021: Missed Test Series Against England
In February 2021, Rahul missed the home Test series against England. He returned for T20I and ODI series and regained form in the ODI series.
September 2021: T20 World Cup Squad and Vice-Captaincy
In September 2021, Rahul was named to India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and later appointed vice-captain of the T20I team.
December 2021: Test and ODI Vice-Captaincy
In December 2021, Rahul was named as India's Test vice-captain for the series against South Africa and ODI captain for the One Day series of the same tour.
2021: Retained as Captain and Highest Scorer
In 2021, Rahul was retained as the captain and scored 626 runs, finishing as the team's highest scorer in the season.
January 2022: Test and ODI Captaincy Debuts
In January 2022, Rahul captained India for the first time in Test cricket, becoming the 34th Test captain, and also debuted as ODI captain.
February 2022: 6000 International Runs and Injury
In February 2022, Rahul completed 6000 runs in international cricket and sustained an injury, ruling him out of matches.
April 2022: Scored First Century for Lucknow Super Giants
In April 2022, 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. Rahul led his team to play-offs in the debut season for LSG. Rahul was the highest scorer for his team, scoring 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 India's match against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.
2022: Drafted by Lucknow Super Giants as Captain
Prior to the 2022 season, 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.
January 2023: Marriage to Athiya Shetty
In January 2023, Rahul married actress Athiya Shetty after dating for over three years.
February 2023: Removed from Test Vice-Captaincy
In February 2023, due to poor form, Rahul was removed from the Test vice-captaincy.
December 2023: Scored Century in First Test Match Against South Africa
In December 2023, during the first test match of the series between India and South Africa, Rahul scored his 8th test century, scoring 101 runs, helping India post a first innings score of 245. Despite his efforts, India lost the match.
2023: Named in World Cup Squad and Captain for ODIs Against Australia
Following a successful Asia Cup, in 2023, Rahul was named in the squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup and was appointed captain for the initial ODIs against Australia.
2023: 2023 World Cup Campaign
In 2023, During the World Cup campaign, Rahul scored an unbeaten 97 against Australia and recorded the fastest century by an Indian batter in a World Cup against the Netherlands. In the final against Australia, Rahul top scored in India's first innings with 66 runs off 107 balls as they struggled to 240 and were defeated.
2023: Named Captain for ODI series against South Africa
In 2023, KL Rahul was announced as the captain for the 3 match ODI series against South Africa after Rohit Sharma took a break. He won the series 2-1, becoming the second captain after Virat Kohli to win an ODI series in South Africa.
2023: Ruled Out of IPL Tournament Due to Injury
In 2023, Rahul was retained as captain for Lucknow Super Giants, but was ruled out of the tournament mid-way after sustaining an injury while fielding in a match against RCB.
2023: Return to Cricket in Asia Cup
In Asia Cup 2023, Rahul made his return to cricket against Pakistan. Rahul scored an unbeaten century on his return, scoring 111 off 106 balls.
January 2024: Scored 17 International Centuries as of January 2024
As of January 2024, Rahul has scored 17 international centuries - 8 in Test cricket, 7 in One-Day Internationals and 2 in T20Is. Rahul is the only Indian player to score a century on his ODI debut. He is also the first batsman to score a century in T20Is while playing at 4th or lower batting position.
September 2024: Played in Test Series Against Bangladesh
In September 2024, Rahul was named in the squad for the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh and scored a quick-fire 68 off 62 deliveries in the second test to help India secure a victory.
November 2024: Pregnancy Announcement
In November 2024, Rahul and Athiya Shetty announced they were expecting their first child.
2024: Axed from T20 World Cup Squad
In 2024, Rahul was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad.
2024: Rahul Publicly Criticized after a Humiliating Loss
In the 2024 season Rahul scored 520 runs at a strike rate of 136.13 scoring 4 half-centuries but could not captain his time to the play-offs. Rahul was publicly criticised by the owner of Lucknow Super Giants after a humiliating loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in match no. 57 of the season where SRH defeated LSG by 10 wickets chasing the target of 166 runs in just 9.4 overs.
2025: Bought by Delhi Capitals in IPL Mega Auction
In 2025 Rahul was released by the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL Mega Auction and was bought by Delhi Capitals for 14 crores.
2025: Joins Delhi Capitals
In 2025, KL Rahul is scheduled to play for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.
2025: Selected for ODI Squad
In 2025, Rahul was selected in the ODI squad for the home series against England and Champions Trophy.
