KL Rahul predominantly featured in the middle order for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during his time with the franchise.
KL Rahul, the current captain of Lucknow Super Giants, a franchise that has shown remarkable consistency since its establishment in 2022, still holds a special place in his heart for his first Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Rahul embarked on his IPL journey with RCB when he signed with the renowned franchise prior to the 2013 season. The wicketkeeper-batsman disclosed that it was Virat Kohli who personally invited him to join the Royal Challengers following his impressive performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In fact, Rahul mentioned that Kohli left him with no choice but to sign on the dotted line. The cricketer from Karnataka expressed that representing RCB had always been a cherished dream of his.
"Virat was there (ITC Gardenia), coach Ray Jennings and other support staff were also there and Virat only said, 'Would you want to sign this contract and play for RCB?' I was like, 'Are you kidding? It was always my dream.' And then he said, 'I'm just kidding. It's not an option, just sign this contract.' I signed and Virat said 'It's gonna be a crazy ride. You're going to enjoy a lot in the next couple of months'," Rahul said in a video shared by Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
"The things that I learned (at RCB) in those two months, I mean the amount of time it would have taken me to be the player by playing just Ranji Trophy would have probably taken it 7-8 seasons. Those two months in the IPL, I gained so much knowledge and experience and everything was fast-forwarded," Rahul added.
KL Rahul predominantly featured in the middle order for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during his time with the franchise. Despite his efforts, he was unable to cement a permanent position in the starting XI and was subsequently released after the 2016 season.
The 32-year-old expressed his fondness for the Bengaluru-based team and stated that he would have cherished the opportunity to spend his entire IPL career with them. Following his departure from RCB, Rahul had brief stints with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings before ultimately finding his place with Lucknow.
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 "'Kohli said it's not an option, just...': KL Rahul recalls his IPL debut for RCB in 2013")
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