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Rahul Kannoly Praveen (born 16 March 2000) commonly known as Rahul KP, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team.

Rahul KP

Rahul training with Kerala Blasters in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Rahul Kannoly Praveen
Date of birth	(2000-03-16) 16 March 2000 (age 22)
Place of birth	Mannuthy, Kerala, India
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Winger, Striker
Club information
Current team	Kerala Blasters
Number	17
Youth career
	Kerala State Football Team
	AIFF Elite Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Indian Arrows	37	(5)
2019–	Kerala Blasters	38	(6)
National team‡
2015–2018	India U17	7	(0)
2017–2019	India U20	3	(0)
2019	India U23	4	(0)
2022–	India	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:00, 13 November 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:53, 25 September 2022 (UTC)

Club career

Youth and early career

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Rahul played for the Thrissur district under-14 football team and later went on to play for the Kerala football team in the same age group. He was the top goalscorer in the under-14 category of the national championship held at Kolkata in 2013. On seeing his performance in the championship he was selected into the AIFF Elite Academy who was preparing for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in India.[1] After playing in the tournament, Rahul was selected to play for the Indian Arrows, an All India Football Federation-owned team that would consist of U-20 players to give them playing time.[2] He made his professional debut for the side in the Arrow's first match of the season against Chennai City. He started and played the whole match as Indian Arrows won 3–0.[3]

A month later, on 26 December, Rahul scored his first professional goal against Shillong Lajong. His 91st-minute goal was the last for the Arrows in a 3–0 victory.[4] He then scored again for the club in their next match against Mohun Bagan on 29 December. This time, his 33rd-minute goal was the equalizer as the Indian Arrows drew the match 1–1.[5] He became the first Indian player to score in Indian Super Cup 2019 by scoring against Mumbai City FC during the qualification round.

Kerala Blasters: 2019–present

On 19 March 2019, he signed for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.[6] He made his debut on October 24, 2019, coming off the bench in the 54th minute as Kerala lost 1–0 to Mumbai City. On November 22 he scored his first competitive goal for the club in the 34th minute of the match against Hyderabad from the assist of Sahal as Kerala blasters lost 2-1 and became the second youngest goalscorer for the club after Deependra Negi.[7] Even though he was ruled out in most matches due to injury, Rahul made a total of eight appearances during the season.

In September 2020, Rahul extended his contract with the Blasters until 2025.[8] On 13 December, he scored his first goal of the 2020-21 season in the South Indian Derby against Bengaluru.[9] Rahul once again scored against Bengaluru FC on 20 January 2021. He scored the crucial winner in the 94th minute of the game, sealing the victory for Blasters.[10]

In 2021, he was named in the Kerala Blasters squad for 2021 Durand Cup, where he played all three matches for the club in the tournament.[11] Rahul played his first match of the 2021–22 Indian Super League season on 19 November in the season opener against ATK Mohun Bagan and assisted for the goal scored by Sahal Abdul Samad, before being substituted due to an injury.[12][13] The Blasters later confirmed that Rahul had suffered a partial tear on the groin muscle and would be out of action for minimum four weeks.[14][15][16] He came back to pitch in the match against Hyderabad on 23 February 2022, where he assisted to the only goal scored by the Blasters in their 2–1 defeat over the Nizams.[17][18] Rahul scored his first goal of the season in the final match of the 2021–22 ISL season against Hyderabad on 20 March, where his goal gave the lead for the Blasters initially, but the Blasters lost in penalty shoot-out after Hyderabad equalized in the last moments of the regular 90 minutes.[19]

On 25 November 2022, Rahul assisted Sahal for a goal in the 85th minute in a 3–0 away win against NorthEast United FC and won the Hero of the Match Award.[20]

International career

Youth

Rahul represented the India under-17 team which participated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup for which India was the host nation.[1] He made his debut in the U-17 World Cup on 6 October 2022 in a 3–0 loss against United States.[21] Rahul later went on to play for the India under-20 team and the India under-23 team.

Senior

On 20 September 2022, Rahul was named in India's squad for the Hung Tinh Friendly football tournament in Vietnam. He made his first senior appearance for India on 24 September 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Singapore by coming as a substitute for Ashique Kuruniyan in the 68th minute.[22]

Personal life

In May 2021, Rahul was signed as the first ever South-Indian brand ambassador of MyFitness, India's first U.S.FDA Registered Peanut Butter brand.[23]

Style of play

Primarily, Rahul plays as a left-winger, who can be also used as a right-winger. He's naturally right-footed and is known for his speed, explosiveness, dribbling and work rate. He has also been deployed as a striker on several games. He has the ability to score and make his teammates score[24]

Career statistics

Club statistics

As of matches played till 20 March 2022[25]

Club	Season	League			Super Cup/Durand Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Indian Arrows	2017–18	I-League	17	2	1	1	–	–	18	3
	2018–19		20	3	2	0	–	–	22	3
	Indian Arrows total		37	5	3	1	0	0	40	6
Kerala Blasters	2019–20	Indian Super League	8	1	0	0	–	–	8	1
	2020–21		17	3	0	0	–	–	17	3
	2021–22		7	1	3	0	–	–	10	1
	Kerala Blasters total		32	5	3	0	0	0	35	5
Career total			69	10	6	1	0	0	75	11

International statistics

As of 27 September 2022

Team	Appearances	Goals
India U17	7	0
India U20	3	0
India U23	4	0
India	2	0

Honours

Club

Kerala Blasters FC

• Indian Super League runner-up: 2021–22.[19]

References

External links

• Rahul KP at Soccerway
• Rahul Kannoly Praveen at Indian Super League
• Rahul Kannoly Praveen at All India Football Federation

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