Even if the Lucknow Super Giants have performed admirably since their founding in 2022, KL Rahul still has a soft spot in his heart for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), his first Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
After joining the well-liked team ahead of the 2013 season, Rahul began his IPL career at RCB. The wicketkeeper-battler disclosed that, following a strong performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it was Virat Kohli who extended the invitation for him to join the Royal Challengers. Rahul said, in fact, that he was forced to write by Kohli, who requested him to do so. The Karnataka batter stated that he had always wanted to play for the Royal Challenge Bangalore.
“Virat only asked, ‘Would you like to sign this contract and play for RCB?'” while he was there at ITC Gardenia with coach Ray Jennings and other support personnel. “Are you kidding?” I exclaimed. I’ve always had that dream. “I’m just kidding,” he then said. Simply sign this contract; it’s not an alternative. When I signed, Virat told me it would be an exciting ride. In a video that Ravichandran Ashwin posted on his YouTube account, Rahul stated, “You’re going to enjoy a lot in the next couple of months.”
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“The things I learned (at RCB) in those two months—I mean, it would have taken me 7-8 seasons to become a player if I had only played for the Ranji Trophy. Everything moved quickly during those two months of the IPL, and I learned a ton,” Rahul continued.
Ideally, I would have finished at RCB. KL Rahul
K.L. Rahul spent the majority of his time with the RCB, playing in the middle order. He was eventually cut after the 2016 season, though, as he was unable to hold down a regular position in the starting lineup. The 32-year-old stated that he wished he could have played for the Bengaluru-based team throughout his whole IPL career. Rahul played for the Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad after being released by the RCB before relocating to Lucknow.
“I also would have loved to be a Bangalore player. That was where I had started and where I would have liked to finish; at least that was my mental state. But one of the best things about the IPL is that you get to play for various teams with different players,” Rahul said.
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