The Mystery Around KL Rahul: Check Origin Of DC Star's Name

Arnav Chopra

KL Rahul (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com)KL Rahul (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com)

Star performer for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Kannur Lokesh Rahul or KL Rahul is a popular figure. The right-handed batter, however, was accidentally named by his father in a major goof-up.

KL Rahul Incorrectly Named After Gavaskar's Son

In what is turning out to be a story doing the rounds on social media, KL Rahul, who has been a tremendous player for India and his side Delhi Capitals, was named after a cricketer who never actually existed.

The story dates back to when Rahul was born to Dr. KN Lokesh, who is a professor and former director at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), while he was also a massive fan of Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar.

Now the story is that Dr. Lokesh wanted to name his son after Gavaskar's son, Rohan, but as fate would have it, Rahul's father thought he had actually named his son Rahul instead of Rohan, and due to this goof-up, Dr. Lokesh registered his son's name as Rahul on the birth certificate.

Another interesting story is that Rahul's mother, Rajeshwari, who was also a professor at Mangalore University, was a Shah Rukh Khan fan, and as we all know, SRK was quite popular back in the day, with movies where his character was named Rahul.

Hence, his mother was quite passionate about naming their son Rahul, considering that "Dil to Pagal Hai" and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" were prime movies behind the inspiration for Rahul's name.

KL Rahul IPL 2025 Stats

In the ongoing game against SunRisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Rahul was dismissed cheaply for 10 runs off just 14 deliveries, whereas the Delhi Capitals were in deep trouble losing six wickets for just 62.

However, looking at the overall stats, Rahul is the 10th best batter in the tournament with a cumulative of 381 runs after 10 innings at an average of 47.62 and a strike rate of 142.16, where he has struck three half-centuries so far.