Licensed photo · Photo: Storm machine — KL Rahul 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source/original: Wikimedia Commons file.; file: KL Rahul 2022.jpg; file page: KL Rahul 2022.jpg; license: CC BY-SA 4.0; no endorsement; factual editorial use only Verified 22 Oct 2026
Cricket · Wicketkeeper-batter
KL Rahul
KL Rahul is an India wicketkeeper-batter whose career has moved between opening, middle-order and wicketkeeping roles across international cricket and the IPL.
IndiaBorn 18 April 1992
Current statusIndia international; ESPNcricinfo's dated 2026 IPL factfile says Delhi Capitals retained him for IPL 2026. This dossier does not infer a post-season 22 October 2026 selection or contract status.
The verified profile
Kannaur Lokesh Rahul, known as KL Rahul, was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, on 18 April 1992. He came through India's 2010 Under-19 World Cup squad and Karnataka cricket, made his first-class debut in 2010, and broke through in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season with 1,033 runs as Karnataka won the title. His international career began with a Test debut in December 2014, followed by ODI and T20I debuts in 2016.
Factual references: Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6How to read the player
Rahul's public record is defined by role flexibility: a right-hand batter who has opened, batted in the middle order and kept wicket. The strongest dated evidence in the sources covers his 2023 World Cup contribution, 2025 Champions Trophy role, 2025 Test hundreds in England, and a 2026 IPL score of 152 not out. International and IPL figures below are kept in separate format groups and are explicitly dated to the source access date.
Original analysis by SportsHub4U athlete profilesCareer, life and public work
Every section and number below is tied to the named source ledger. Sport-specific statistics retain their stated scope and verification date.
Matches
ESPNcricinfo batting and fielding table; accessed 2026-10-22
Runs / highest score
International Test figures shown on the accessed ESPNcricinfo profile
Average / hundreds
International Test figures shown on the accessed ESPNcricinfo profile
Matches
ESPNcricinfo batting and fielding table; accessed 2026-10-22
Runs / highest score
International ODI figures shown on the accessed ESPNcricinfo profile
Average / hundreds
International ODI figures shown on the accessed ESPNcricinfo profile
Matches
ESPNcricinfo batting and fielding table; accessed 2026-10-22
Runs / highest score
International T20I figures shown on the accessed ESPNcricinfo profile
Average / hundreds
International T20I figures shown on the accessed ESPNcricinfo profile
Matches / runs
ESPNcricinfo IPL factfile; accessed 2026-10-22
Average / hundreds
ESPNcricinfo IPL factfile; accessed 2026-10-22
Highest score / fifties
ESPNcricinfo IPL factfile; accessed 2026-10-22
Background
Rahul was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, and came through India's 2010 Under-19 World Cup squad before making his first-class debut in 2010. His domestic breakthrough came in Karnataka's 2013-14 Ranji Trophy-winning season, when he scored 1,033 runs and made a decisive contribution in the final.
Professional journey
He debuted in Tests in 2014 and in ODIs and T20Is in 2016. The record shows a batter who has adapted between opening and middle-order work while also taking wicketkeeping responsibility. He has represented five IPL teams. Explore the wider player directory and the Cricket desk for related coverage. ESPNcricinfo's IPL factfile records Delhi Capitals as his 2025-26 team context.
Playing career and dated records
The clearest recent milestones are his 452 runs at the 2023 World Cup, 140 runs in India's 2025 Champions Trophy campaign, Test hundreds at Headingley and Lord's in 2025, and an unbeaten 152 for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. Those are event-level records and are not presented as an invented 22 October 2026 total.
Playing style
The ICC and ESPNcricinfo profiles identify Rahul as a right-hand batter and wicketkeeper-batter. His career narrative describes movement between opening and middle order, with wicketkeeping added when team balance required it.
Public business work
This dossier separates documented business roles from advertising. Forbes India reported in April 2023 that Rahul invested in 4CAST and would lead its operations in the Indian subcontinent. Paul & Shark's own page identifies him as its 2025 Global Brand Ambassador. Neither source supports a net-worth or compensation claim.
Career timeline
Selected verified milestones
- India Under-19 and first-class pathway
Rahul was in India's 2010 Under-19 World Cup squad and made his first-class debut later that year.
ESPNcricinfo - Karnataka breakthrough
Scored more than 1,000 runs in Karnataka's Ranji Trophy-winning season, including a Player-of-the-Match performance in the final.
ESPNcricinfo - Test debut
Made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne and scored a century in only his second Test in Sydney.
ESPNcricinfo - White-ball breakthrough
Made his ODI debut with an unbeaten century against Zimbabwe and later scored a T20I century against West Indies.
ESPNcricinfo - IPL captaincy and Orange Cap
Captained Kings XI Punjab and finished the season as the IPL's leading run-scorer with 670 runs.
Red Bull - Champions Trophy and England Tests
Contributed to India's Champions Trophy win and made Test hundreds at Headingley and Lord's on the England tour.
Red Bull - Delhi Capitals IPL high
Scored an unbeaten 152 against Punjab Kings during IPL 2026; this is recorded as a dated achievement, not a new undated career total.
Red Bull
Achievement index
Source-linked reference points
First Indian batter with a century on men's ODI debut
Scored an unbeaten 100 against Zimbabwe in 2016.
IPL Orange Cap
Led the IPL run charts in 2020 with 670 runs.
2023 World Cup contribution
Scored 452 runs, including an unbeaten 97 against Australia, and was named in the ICC Team of the Tournament.
2025 Champions Trophy contribution
Scored 140 runs, finished unbeaten in three of four innings, and was named in the ICC Team of the Tournament.
2026 IPL high
An unbeaten 152 for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings was described by Red Bull as the highest score by an Indian batter in the competition's history.
Sources and method
What supports this profile
SportsHub4U writes verified facts in original language and links to the source pages used. Each link records the evidence reviewed for this dossier.
- 01International Cricket Council
KL Rahul | Player Profile
Accessed 2026-10-22 - 02Board of Control for Cricket in India
KL Rahul | Player Profile
Accessed 2026-10-22 - 03ESPNcricinfo
KL Rahul Profile - Cricket Player India | Stats, Records, Video
Accessed 2026-10-22 - 04Red Bull
KL Rahul: Cricket - Red Bull Athlete Profile
Accessed 2026-10-22 - 05Paul & Shark
KL Rahul x Paul & Shark
Accessed 2026-10-22 - 06Forbes India
Exclusive: KL Rahul joins hands with Ben Stokes to help athletes score big in business
Accessed 2026-10-22