Rahul Kannoly Praveen (born 16 March 2000) is an Indian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
for
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
club
Odisha
Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
.
Club career
Youth and early career
Born in
Thrissur
Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, Rahul played for the Thrissur district under-14 football team and later for the
Kerala football team
The Kerala football team (Malayalam Language, Malayalam: കേരള കാൽപന്തുകളി ഗണം), formerly known as ''Travancore-Cochin football team'', is an Indian state level semi-professional association football, football ...
in the same age group. He was the top goalscorer in the under-14 category of the national championship held at
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
in 2013. Following that performance, he was selected into the
AIFF Elite Academy
The AIFF Elite Academy was the elite academy of the regional AIFF affiliated football academies. Founded on 1 February 2013, the Elite Academy started as a youth development project between the AIFF and FIFA. The Elite Academy is the final front ...
who was preparing for the
2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 17th FIFA U-17 World Cup, a biennial international association football, football tournament contested by men's under-17 national teams. Organised by FIFA, the tournament took place in India from 6 to 28 Octo ...
to be hosted in India.
After playing in the tournament, Rahul was selected to play for the
Indian Arrows
Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) is an Indian developmental football team that competes in the Indian national football tiers. They competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, wi ...
, an
All India Football Federation
All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation.
It is affiliated wit ...
-owned team that would consist of U-20 players to give them playing time. He made his professional debut for the side in the Arrows' first match of the season against
Chennai City
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian censu ...
. He started and played the whole match as Indian Arrows won 3–0.
A month later, on 26 December, Rahul scored his first professional goal against
Shillong Lajong
Shillong Lajong Football Club (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya. The club is currently competing in the I-League, the second tier of the Indian football league system, following promotio ...
. His 91st-minute goal was the last for the Arrows in a 3–0 victory. He scored again for the club in their next match against
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
on 29 December. This time, his 33rd-minute goal was the equalizer as the Indian Arrows drew the match 1–1.
He became the first Indian player to score in the
Indian Super Cup
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Associated with India
* of or related to India
** Indian people
** Indian diaspora
** Languages of India
** Indian English, a dialect of the English language
** Indian cuisine
Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
2019 by scoring against
Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City Football Club is an Indian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is part of the City Football Group. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of the Ind ...
during the qualification round.
Kerala Blasters: 2019–2025
On 19 March 2019, he signed for
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
club
Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier of football in India. The club was esta ...
. 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
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
from the assist of
Sahal as
Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier of football in India. The club was esta ...
lost 2-1 and became the second youngest goalscorer for the club after
Deependra Negi
Deependra Singh Negi (born 20 November 1998) is an Indian professional footballer who is playing as a midfielder for Mumbai Kenkre FC. He was the captain of the India U17 National Team.
Career
Born in Uttarakhand, Negi began his career with t ...
. Even though he was ruled out in most matches due to injuries, Rahul made a total of eight appearances during the season.
In September 2020, Rahul extended his contract with the Blasters until 2025. On 13 December, he scored his first goal of the
2020-21 season in the
South Indian Derby
The South Indian Derby, also known as the Southern Derby or Southern Rivalry, is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of the three professional football clubs from South India—Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blaster ...
against
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
. 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.
In 2021, he was named in the Kerala Blasters squad for
2021 Durand Cup
The 2021 Durand Cup was the 130th edition of Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia. Like its 2019 Durand Cup, previous edition, the tournament was hosted in West Bengal. The tournament is jointly hosted by the Eastern Command (Indi ...
, where he played all three matches for the club in the tournament. Rahul played his first match of the
2021–22 Indian Super League season on 19 November in the season opener against
ATK Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
and assisted for the goal scored by
Sahal Abdul Samad
Sahal Abdul Samad (born 1 April 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan and the India national team.
Club career Early life and youth career
Sahal was born in Al Ain, UAE ...
, before being substituted due to an injury. 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. 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 against the Nizams. Rahul scored his first goal of the season in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
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
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
after Hyderabad equalized in the last moments of the regular 90 minutes.
On 25 November 2022, Rahul assisted Sahal for a goal in the 85th minute in a 3–0 away win against
NorthEast United FC
NorthEast United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Guwahati, Assam that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded on 13 April 2014 during the inaugural sea ...
and won the Hero of the Match Award. He scored his first goal of the season against ATK Mohun Bagan on 16 October, where he scored a long-range goal in the 81st minute, but the Blasters lost the match 2–5 at full-time. His second goal of the season was the winner against
Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The club competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded in August 2014 during the inaugural sea ...
on 7 February 2023, which the Blasters won 2–1 after Rahul's goal helped the Blasters to secure a comeback in the
Southern Derby
The Southern Derby is a fan-based U.S. professional soccer cup competition between USL Championship (USLC) teams based in the South-Atlantic region of the United States (North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). It was founded in 2000. The S ...
. Rahul was sent-off after receiving a second yellow against ATK Mohun Bagan in the returning fixture on 18 February, as the Blasters lost the match by a score of 2–1. After the Blasters' elimination from the ISL season, Rahul was included in the Blasters' squad for the
2023 Indian Super Cup
The 2023 Super Cup (also known as the 2023 Hero Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the third edition of the Super Cup and the 41st season of the national knockout football competition in India. The competition was sponsored by Hero MotoCor ...
. He played his first match of the tournament on 8 April as a substitute against
RoundGlass Punjab FC
Punjab Football Club (formerly known as RoundGlass Punjab FC) is an Indian professional football club founded in Mohali, Punjab. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of the Indian football league system. It was the first ...
for the Greek striker
Dimitrios Diamantakos
Dimitrios Diamantakos (; born 5 March 1993) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian Super League club East Bengal.
Club career Olympiacos
Diamantakos started his career at Atromitos Piraeus, from which he moved to ...
in the 67th minute, which they won 3–1 after Rahul scored the last goal for the Blasters in the last seconds of the additional time.
Rahul began his
2023–24 season with the match against
Gokulam Kerala FC
Gokulam Kerala Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kozhikode, Kerala. Founded in 2017, the club competes in the I-League, the second tier of the Indian football league system. They won the 2020–21 I-League title t ...
on 13 August 2023 in the
2023 Durand Cup
The 2023 Durand Cup (also known as IndianOil Durand Cup due to sponsorship ties with the Indian Oil Corporation) was the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, the oldest association football, football tournament in Asia, and the second edition since it ...
tournament, where he came in as a substitute for
Nihal Sudeesh, but they lost by the score of 3–4 at full-time.
After making 89 appearances and scoring 9 goals across all competition for the Blasters for, Rahul left the Blasters in the 2025 winter transfer window, ending his more than five years stint at the club. He was the second most-capped Blasters' player at the time of his departure only behind
Sahal.
Odisha
On 6 January 2025,
Odisha FC
Odisha Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Prior to the inaugural Indian Super League season, the club was founded ...
announced the signing of Rahul on a two year deal until 2027.
West Ham United – TST
On 23 May 2025,
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
announced that Rahul would represent the club at the 2025 edition of
The Soccer Tournament
The Soccer Tournament (TST) is a seven-a-side association football tournament played in the United States, established by TBT Enterprises, creator of The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TST was announced on October 11, 2022 to feature 32 teams with ...
(TST), a seven-a-side competition. In doing so, he became the first Indian player ever to be selected by a
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club for this event.
On 4 June 2025, he made his debut for West Ham United’s TST side in a 3–1 group stage win over Brown Ballers FC. He showcased impressive nimble footwork on the
right wing
Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...
. He featured in all three of the team’s group stage matches, playing against Brown Ballers FC,
Villarreal
Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain.
The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...
, and Tenfifteen FC.
International career
Youth
Rahul represented the
India under-17 team which participated in the
2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 17th FIFA U-17 World Cup, a biennial international association football, football tournament contested by men's under-17 national teams. Organised by FIFA, the tournament took place in India from 6 to 28 Octo ...
for which India was the host nation.
He made his debut in the U-17 World Cup on 6 October 2022 in a 3–0 loss against the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. 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
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. He made his first senior appearance for India on 24 September 2022 in a 1–1 draw against
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
by coming as a substitute for
Ashique Kuruniyan
Muhammed Ashique Kuruniyan (born 14 June 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward or defender for Indian Super League club Bengaluru and the India national team.
Club career Early life and youth career
Born in Malap ...
in the 68th minute. He was a member of the Indian team for the
2022 Asian Games
The 2022 Asian Games (), officially the 19th Asian Games () and also known as Hangzhou 2022 ( zh, c=, s=杭州2022, labels=no), were a continental multi-sport event which was held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The ...
. He was the only goal scorer in a 1-5 loss against
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
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.
Style of play
Rahul primarily plays as a
right-winger and can be also deployed as a left-winger. He is naturally right-footed and is known for his speed, explosiveness, dribbling and work rate. Rahul has also been deployed as a
striker on several games.
Career statistics
Club statistics
International
Honours
Kerala Blasters
*
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
runner-up:
2021–22
References
External links
*
Rahul Kannoly Praveenat Indian Super League
Rahul Kannoly Praveenat All India Football Federation
{{DEFAULTSORT:KP, Rahul
2000 births
Living people
Footballers from Thrissur
Indian men's footballers
21st-century Indian sportsmen
AIFF Elite Academy players
Indian Arrows players
Men's association football goalkeepers
I-League players
India men's international footballers
India men's youth international footballers
Kerala Blasters FC players
Indian Super League players
Footballers at the 2022 Asian Games
Asian Games footballers for India
2023 AFC Asian Cup players