Rahat Ali (Punjabi: راحت على; born 12 September 1988) is a Pakistani former cricketer who has represented the Pakistan national cricket team. A left-arm fast-medium bowler who bats right-handed, he is known for a side-on bowling action and an ability to sustain speeds in the region of 140 km/h, though he has stated that his primary focus is on swing rather than pace.
| Full name | Rahat Ali |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 September 1988 |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Left-arm fast-medium |
| Home club | Pioneers Cricket Club (PCC), Multan |
| ODI debut | 9 June 2012, vs Sri Lanka |
| Test debut | 1 February 2013, vs South Africa |
| Domestic teams | Multan Tigers, Khan Research Laboratories, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Sindh, Southern Punjab |
| Twenty20 franchises | Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi |
Rahat Ali hails from Multan and is associated with the Pioneers Cricket Club (PCC), a club registered with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He took to serious cricket during his first year of college, playing for Multan Cricket Club, and progressed through the city's club circuit before breaking into top-tier domestic cricket.
At the domestic level, Rahat has represented several departmental and regional sides, including the Multan Tigers, Khan Research Laboratories and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. In March 2019, he was named in Sindh's squad for the 2019 Pakistan Cup. Following the restructuring of Pakistan's domestic season, he was named in Southern Punjab's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in September 2019.
In the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Rahat was associated with Lahore Qalandars before being released by the franchise ahead of the 2020 PSL Draft. In December 2019, he was drafted by Peshawar Zalmi as their Silver Category pick at the 2020 PSL Draft.
Rahat was selected for the One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka in 2012 and made his ODI debut on 9 June 2012. He earned his Test cap against South Africa on 1 February 2013, and went on to become a consistent member of the Pakistan Test squad over the following years.
In August 2018, he was among the thirty-three players awarded a central contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the 2018–19 season, reflecting his standing within Pakistan's pool of contracted international players.
Rahat bowls with a classical side-on action and is capable of maintaining speeds around 140 km/h. While quick by left-arm standards, he has emphasised that his bowling is built around swing rather than outright pace, a feature that has shaped his role in the longer formats for Pakistan.
As a left-arm seamer in an era when Pakistan's pace attack was traditionally dominated by right-arm bowlers, Rahat Ali offered variety and balance to the Test side. His longevity in the domestic circuit, across departmental teams and the post-2019 regional structure, and his presence in the PSL franchise system, mark him as a familiar figure in Pakistani cricket through the 2010s.