Kannanur Lokesh Rahul is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman for Karnataka at the domestic level and is the captain of Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2024.

• Early Career: Starting young at 10, KL Rahul honed his skills playing for Bangalore United Cricket Club and his Mangalore sports club. He excelled at the junior level, representing India at the 2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and becoming the first batsman from his state to score a triple century in the Ranji Trophy.

• International Recognition: A technically gifted right-handed batsman and a capable wicketkeeper, Rahul made his international debut in a Test match against Australia in 2014. He has since established himself as a vital member of the Indian squad across formats, achieving the rare feat of scoring a century in all three formats (Test, ODI, T20I).

• IPL Stardom: Rahul began his IPL career in 2013 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a wicket-keeper batsman. He later captained Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for the 2020 season.

• Lucknow Super Giants Captain: In a major move for the 2022 season, the newly formed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise drafted KL Rahul for a whopping INR 17 crore, making him the joint-highest-paid player alongside Virat Kohli. He was appointed as their captain, leading the team to the playoffs in their debut season.

• IPL 2024: KL Rahul continues to be the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the 2024 season. There were reports about him potentially taking on a middle-order batting role and wicket-keeping duties to strengthen his chances of making the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.