PremiumKL Rahul opens up on Koffee With Karan scandal: 'My first fall, didn't know how to handle it'
KL Rahul reflects on the 2019 Koffee With Karan controversy, calling it a life-changing experience that scarred him. He and Hardik Pandya were suspended by BCCI.
Last Updated: 08.59 AM, Mar 05, 2025
Cricketer KL Rahul has spoken out against the Koffee With Karan (KWK) incident that caused a storm due to the 'sexist' and 'inappropriate' remarks made by Hardik Pandya and himself, nearly six years after the fact.
Impact of the controversy on KL Rahul
The cricketer remarked on Nikhil Kamath's podcast, WTF is, that the interview changed him and had a profound effect on him. When Rahul was a kid, he was a super quiet, bashful boy. His self-assurance skyrocketed after his India debut. Surrounded by so many people, he felt completely at home. Anyone in a room with one hundred other people would have his whole attention.
Rahul stated that now he doesn't do that because that Koffee With Karan interview scarred him massively. Being benched from the squad... Throughout his academic career, he has never faced disciplinary action such as suspension or punishment. The ace cricketer was completely untouched by it and it was too much for him to manage. After his first fall, he learnt the terrible nature of it firsthand.
BCCI’s action and Karan Johar's response
The streaming platform removed the chat show episode following the 2019 scandal. After apologising to fans and teammates, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended Rahul and Hardik and kicked them out of the one-day international series against Australia. After that, the BCCI punished the two of them ₹20 lakh apiece. Filmmaker-host Karan Johar expressed his immense responsibility for the consequences the cricketers endured following the issue.
Meanwhile, after courting for more than three years, Rahul finally tied the knot with Athiya Shetty on January 23, 2023. With only immediate relatives and close friends in attendance, the happy couple exchanged wedding vows at Suniel Shetty's property in Khandala. Even before they tied the knot, their romance had been circulating for quite some time. An exciting new chapter in their lives was marked on November 8, 2024, when the couple revealed their first pregnancy.