India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has confessed that he and Virat Kohli have discussed the IPL 2016 final numerous times and have wondered that if one of them had batted a little longer, the outcome could have been different. With the IPL title having remained elusive for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, they were very close to winning it that year, only to fall marginally short.
KL Rahul was part of Bangalore in his maiden season in IPL 2013 but played just five matches. KL Rahul went down memory lane to the IPL 2016 final where Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) agonizingly fell short. With a chance to lift the title for the first time in front of their home crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, RCB lost by eight runs.
KL Rahul part of the iconic RCB team who lost 2016 Final to SRH by mere 8 runs
KL Rahul talked about RCB’s heartbreaking defeat in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 where Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), led by David Warner, came up trumps. RCB failed to chase down a target of 209 despite fifties from Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli.
KL Rahul opens up about parting ways with RCB after 2016 season
Team India star KL Rahul opened up about the 2016 IPL final heart-break with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and how it still lingers for him and the then-skipper Virat Kohli. Having never won the IPL title, RCB were as close as they had ever been to achieving ultimate glory.
On the back of a dream season by Virat Kohli, where he scored a single-edition record 973 runs, RCB qualified for the final to be played at home in the Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, come the big game, their Achilles heel – the bowling came apart as the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) amassed 208/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, RCB was coasting at 114/0 in the 11th over with Kohli reaching yet another half-century. However, an untimely collapse saw them score only 86 runs in the final 9.4 overs for the loss of seven wickets and thereby suffering an eight-run defeat.
Reflecting on the heart-breaking finish in a conversation on Star Sports, Rahul said:
“Virat Kohli and I have discussed the 2016 IPL Final so many times. There is always that reminder that had one of us played a little longer and won that game, it would have been very different. It would have been a fairytale, to be right in the bottom and then win seven games to qualify and go into the final and win the final at home in Chinnaswamy. There wouldn’t have been a better story or better ending.”
KL Rahul scored only 11 off nine deliveries in the final as the RCB disintegrated after a sensational start from Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli .
KL Rahul exclaims that he enjoyed the most playing the IPL 2016 season with RCB.
Despite the disappointing ending, KL Rahul acknowledged enjoying the 2016 season with RCB the most in his IPL career.
The 32-year-old was part of the franchise in his maiden season in 2013 but played only five games. However, on his return to RCB in 2016, Rahul played a massive role in the side finishing runners-up, scoring 397 runs at an average of over 44 and a strike rate of 146.49.
“Most enjoyed playing with RCB (2016),” Rahul continued.
“You get to spend a lot of time at home. I know the Chinnaswamy really well, I have grown up playing on that ground. So I really enjoyed my time in RCB. (On wanting to be back) Yeah, of course. Bengaluru is home and the people there know me as a local Kannada boy so it would be nice to go back there and get an opportunity again. But it’s an auction year so can go anywhere.”
KL Rahul missed the 2017 IPL season due to a shoulder injury and moved on to play for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2018. Meanwhile, RCB has yet to qualify for the final since the heartbreaking ending in 2016. KL Rahul, who has played 132 matches in the IPL since his debut back in 2013, said that the IPL is about players wanting to win rather than the glitz and glamour around it.
Apart from RCB, Rahul also plied his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). In fact, KL Rahul once held the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL off 14 balls before Yashaswi Jaiswal broke it in the previous season.