'Not Kidding': When Virat Kohli 'Forced' KL Rahul To Sign For RCB In IPL

Kohli and KL Rahul [X]Kohli and KL Rahul [X]

In a recent interview with Ravichandran Ashwin, LSG skipper KL Rahul revealed that it was Virat Kohli who insisted the Karnataka batter to sign a contract with the Bengaluru based IPL franchise.

KL reveals how he joined RCB

KL Rahul, who made his IPL debut in 2013 revealed how he was approached by Kohli to sign an RCB contract and how things panned out.

“Virat Kolhi 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‘,” KL Rahul stated in an interview with Ashwin.

KL Rahul also admitted that he learnt a lot during his time with RCB and would have continued to play for them, if not for the diversity provided by IPL.

“I would have also loved to play for Bangalore. I had started there, I would have liked to finish there and that was there in my head. But the beauty of IPL is that you get to go into different teams with different players,” Rahul added.

KL Rahul played 19 matches for RCB and had a lasting impact, scoring 417 runs, with a strike-rate of 145.30. He has also represented SRH, and PBKS in the IPL, and currently leads the Lucknow Super Giants.