KL Rahul was born on April 18, 1992, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. His father, KN Lokesh, is a professor and former director at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) in Mangalore. His mother, Rajeshwari, is a professor at Mangalore University. Rahul grew up in Mangalore, completing his high school at NITK English Medium School and pre-university at St. Aloysius College.
Rahul started playing cricket at a young age and was trained by his childhood coach, Samuel Jayaraj. He made his first-class debut for Karnataka in the 2010-11 season and quickly established himself as one of the most promising young batsmen in India.
Rahul has had a stellar domestic career. He has won the Ranji Trophy with Karnataka twice, in 2013-14 and 2014-15. He has also won the Vijay Hazare Trophy twice, in 2013-14 and 2017-18. In the 2016-17 season, he scored 1000 runs in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 50.00.
Rahul is also a successful T20 player. He has played for several teams in the Indian Premier League, including the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kings XI Punjab. He is currently the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants. In the 2020 IPL season, he became the first Indian batsman to score a century in all three formats of international cricket.
Rahul made his international debut for India in a Test match against Australia in December 2014. He scored a century in his second Test match, becoming the third Indian batsman to score a century in all three formats of international cricket.
Rahul has had a successful Test career, with an average of over 40. He has scored 10 centuries and 22 half-centuries in Test cricket.
Rahul has also had a successful ODI career, with an average of over 40. He has scored 6 centuries and 21 half-centuries in ODIs.
Rahul is a regular member of the Indian T20 team. He has scored over 2000 runs in T20Is at an average of over 30. He has also scored one century and 13 half-centuries in T20Is.
Rahul has achieved the following records and achievements in his career:
Rahul has won the following awards and honors:
Rahul has been involved in a few controversies during his career. In 2018, he was suspended from the Indian team for a short period of time after he was caught on camera making sexist remarks to a female journalist.
In 2020, Rahul was criticized for his performance in the Indian Premier League. He was the captain of the Kings XI Punjab team, which finished last in the tournament.