Rahul Kannoly Praveen

Rahul Kannoly Praveen (born 16 March 2000) commonly known as Rahul K P is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a Winger or forward for Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League.[1] He has represented Indian national football team at various youth levels including the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017.

Rahul K.P.
Rahul with Blasters in 2020
Personal information
Full name Rahul Kannoly Praveen
Date of birth (2000-03-16) 16 March 2000
Place of birth Thrissur, Kerala, India
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Winger
Forward
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 21 (4)
National team‡
2015–2018 India U17 7 (0)
2017–2019 India U20 3 (0)
2019– India U23 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 February 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 November 2017

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 scorer 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 that was preparing for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in India.[2] 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 India under-20 players to give them playing time.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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 goal-scorer for the club after Deependra Negi.[8] 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 till 2025.[9] On 13 December, he scored his first goal of the 2020-21 season in the South Indian Derby against Bengaluru.[10] 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.[11]

International career

Rahul represented the India under-17 side which participated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup for which India was the host nation[2] Rahul then got promoted to India under-20 side.

Style of play

Rahul primarily plays on the left wing position and can be also used as a right winger. He's naturally right-footed and is known for his speed, explosiveness and work rate. He has been also deployed as a forward on several games.[12]

Career statistics

Club statistics
As of matches played till 30 January 2021[13]
Club Season League Durand Cup Super Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Indian Arrows 2017–18 I-League172––11––183
2018–19 203––20––223
Kerala Blasters 2019–20
 Indian Super League8100––0081
2020–21
 11300––0051
Career total 508310000538

International statistics
As of 24 April 2019
Team Appearances Goals
India U17 7 0
India U20 3 0
India U23 1 0

References
  1. "ISL: Kerala Blasters' Rahul KP - I'm trying to go and play outside India, preferably Europe | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. Selvaraj, Jonathan (3 October 2017). "How 14,000 became 21: The story of India's history boys". ESPN.in. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. "Matos Names 25-member Indian Arrows Squad for Hero I-league 2017-18". The All India Football Federation. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  4. "Indian Arrows 3-0 Chennai City". Soccerway.
  5. "Indian Arrows 3-0 Shillong Lajong". Soccerway.
  6. "Mohun Bagan 1-1 Indian Arrows". Soccerway.
  7. "ISL: Kerala Blasters sign Rahul KP". goal.com. 18 March 2019.
  8. Soni, George M. (30 November 2019). "Sahal Samad and Rahul KP say they prefer to turn disappointments into motivation to play better". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  9. "Rahul KP signs multi-year contract extension at Kerala Blasters". Khel Now. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  10. Sportstar, Team. "ISL 2020-21 highlights: Bengaluru FC beats Kerala Blasters 4-2". Sportstar. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  11. Jan 21, Arun George / TNN /; 2021; Ist, 10:52. "ISL: Kerala 'counter' late to beat BFC | Football News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 January 2021.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. Raghunathan, Abhijit (30 September 2020). "ISL 2020/21: Winger Rahul KP signs contract extension with Kerala Blasters FC". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  13. Rahul Kannoly Praveen at Soccerway
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