Rahul Tewatia is an Indian cricketer who plays as a left-handed batting all-rounder and bowls right-arm leg-spin. He represents Haryana in domestic cricket and has featured for several franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Tewatia gained widespread recognition for his finishing ability with the bat in Twenty20 cricket, particularly during his stints with the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans.
| Full name | Rahul Tewatia |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 May 1993 |
| Birthplace | Sihi, Faridabad, Haryana, India |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm legbreak |
| Role | All-rounder |
| Domestic team | Haryana |
| IPL teams | Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Gujarat Titans |
Tewatia was born in Sihi, a village in the Faridabad district of Haryana. He came through age-group cricket in Haryana before progressing to the senior state side. His early career was marked by his bowling, with leg-spin being his primary skill, though over time his batting developed into an equally valuable asset.
Tewatia made his first-class debut for Haryana in the Ranji Trophy and has since been a regular member of the state's senior squad across formats, including the Vijay Hazare Trophy (List A) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20). He has contributed both with the ball, taking wickets through wrist-spin, and as a middle-order batter capable of scoring quickly.
Tewatia entered the IPL after being picked up in the auction and has represented multiple franchises during his career.
Tewatia became known for clutch hitting in the late overs of T20 matches. During the 2020 IPL season, while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah, he played a celebrated innings in which he hit five sixes in an over bowled by Sheldon Cottrell, helping Rajasthan complete a successful chase. The knock made him a recognised "finisher" in T20 cricket. He produced further finishing performances for Gujarat Titans in the 2022 IPL, including last-over chases that contributed to the franchise's title-winning campaign.
Tewatia is a left-handed lower-middle-order batter who specialises in striking at the death overs. His ability to clear the boundary against both pace and spin has made him a sought-after T20 finisher. As a bowler, he uses leg-spin and googlies and is often deployed in the middle overs to control run flow and pick up wickets in the limited-overs format.
Tewatia's career illustrates the rise of multi-skilled domestic cricketers within the IPL ecosystem, where players from smaller centres in states such as Haryana have established themselves as match-winners. His finishing performances are frequently cited among memorable T20 chases in IPL history.