Kunal Singh Rathore IPL Profile

Kunal Singh Rathore, a native of Kota, Rajasthan was born on October 9, 2002. He hogged the limelight when he became the first cricketer from his hometown to secure an IPL contract. He has been a lifelong fan of the Rajasthan Royals. Kunal is someone who brings his passion and energy to the field as a left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. Since 2022, he has been showcasing his talents in Rajasthan's domestic cricket scene.

Rathore shined in the Colvin Shield tournament, emerging as the top scorer, and made his debut with the Rajasthan senior team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the 2021-22 season. Rathore who was a fan of former Indian pacer Sreesanth, initially started his journey as a bowler but later switched to become a wicketkeeper-batsman. 

His impressive performances, especially in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, made him the first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman for Rajasthan's senior team. In 2023, he was officially included in Rajasthan's senior squad and he quickly proved his mettle by hitting his first first-class century against Manipur in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, held in Ahmedabad.

He drew plaudits for his terrific batting display where he pitched in with 156 off 138 balls, laced with 13 fours and 8 sixes and has so far done justice to his role. His performances in the Ranji Trophy helped him gain recognition and the Rajasthan Royals were the first to show interest to sign him. He registered his name in the IPL 2024 auction for his base price of INR 20 lakh and RR signed him. 

For the record, he got a call from Rajasthan Royals fielding coach Dishant Yagnik who had initially asked him to come for the Royals' trials. Since he performed well there, he was asked to stay for five more days before the franchise picked him up during the auction.