KL Rahul is among those calm and composed operators on the cricket field. This makes him a solid candidate to captain teams. And he has had notable outings as captain for India and in the IPL.
While Rahul has never led India in a permanent capacity, he has had full-time stints in the IPL. He was at the helm of Punjab Kings (PBKS) for two seasons before leading Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in three editions.
Here you can look at KL Rahul’s captaincy record in international cricket and the IPL — including a short IPL captaincy summary.
News: KL Rahul has been appointed as India’s stand-in captain for the three-match ODI series against South Africa starting November 30, 2025. With regular skipper Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer sidelined due to injuries, Rahul will take charge of a balanced squad featuring seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja.
KL Rahul Captaincy Record in All Formats
| Format | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Drawn | No Result | Win% |
| Test | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| ODI | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64.28 |
| T20I | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| IPL (Domestic) | 64 | 32 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 51.61 |
| Total | 82 | 44 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 55.00 |
Rahul first had the opportunity to lead India in January 2022. He filled in for Virat Kohli in the second Test against South Africa, which India lost by seven wickets.
Although Rahul didn’t have a great start, he has been prominently involved in the leadership group for some time. He has stepped up whenever the opportunity to lead India has arisen. And he has done well in those opportunities across formats.
Overall, Rahul has led India in 16 matches, with 11 wins to his name across formats.
KL Rahul Captaincy Record in Test Cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Drawn | Win% |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Rahul has led India in Tests in the absence of regular skippers. And in those brief opportunities, he has had a decent record.
Like to know? KL Rahul Century List in All Formats
While he lost his debut captaincy Test against South Africa in early 2022, he closed out the year with a 2-0 clean sweep in Bangladesh.
With Shubman Gill now India’s Test skipper and Rishabh Pant his deputy, it’s unlikely Rahul will lead the team in this format again.
KL Rahul Captaincy Record in ODI Cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
| 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 64.28 |
Rahul has been the stand-in skipper in ODIs as well. And he has had a solid record with 9 wins in 13 matches.
Under his leadership, India won three series, one each against Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. They also suffered a 3-0 whitewash against South Africa in Rahul’s debut captaincy series in 2022.
Read more: Rishabh Pant Captaincy Record
KL Rahul Captaincy Record in T20I Cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Rahul has captained India in T20Is only once. He stood in for Rohit Sharma against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup clash. He led them to a 101-run victory to finish the tournament on a high after missing out on the knockouts.
KL Rahul Captaincy Record in IPL
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
| Punjab Kings | 27 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 44.44 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 37 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 54.05 |
| Total | 64 | 32 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 50.00 |
KL Rahul has had captaincy stints with two IPL teams. And thus far, he has had considerable success in the league.
1. Punjab Kings (PBKS) – 2020 & 2021
- Average results
- PBKS finished both seasons in the lower half
- Rahul was one of the top run-scorers despite average team performance
2. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – 2022 to 2024
- Guided LSG to playoffs in 2022 & 2023
- Mixed 2024 season
- Parted ways with the franchise ahead of IPL 2025 and moved to Delhi Capitals
Know? LSG Team Owner 2026:
His first stint was with Punjab Kings (PBKS). KL Rahul led PBKS for two seasons in 2020 and 2021 with pretty average results. Both times, Punjab finished in the bottom half of the points table.
Rahul then moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and led them for three seasons in 2022, 2023, and 2024. While he guided LSG to the playoffs in the first two editions, they had a mixed outing in the 2024 edition. This led to Rahul exiting the franchise and moving to Delhi Capitals in 2025.
