After seven years, KL Rahul is set to enter the IPL auction. The last time he was in an IPL auction was in 2018 when Punjab Kings secured him with a bid of ₹11 crore. This time around, he is expected to command a strong bid once again. However, it’s certain that LSG won’t be bidding for him, and it seems unlikely that Punjab Kings will either, given the past conflicts that led to his exit from both franchises.
Meanwhile, during a conversation with Star Sports, KL Rahul spoke about his decision to leave the Lucknow Super Giants and revealed his dream IPL team. “I wanted to start fresh, explore my options, and play where I could find some freedom, where the team atmosphere would be lighter. Sometimes you need to move away and find something good for yourself,” Rahul said.
KL Rahul names RCB as his Dream IPL Franchise
During this conversation, KL Rahul named Royal Challengers Bengaluru as his most favorite franchise. Rahul, who has played for four IPL teams—RCB, SRH, PBKS, and LSG—shared that among these, he enjoyed his time with RCB the most. Rahul had two different stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He first played for them during the 2012-13 seasons and then RCB acquired him again for the 2016 season.
“In 2016 when I went back to RCB, it could have been a fairytale story, most enjoyed playing at RCB. Bangalore is home and the people there know me as a local Kannada boy. Unfortunately in sports, your best is not good enough always. I have always been someone who has tried very hard and I’ll find a way to bounce back. I’ll find a way to better my cricket. I am okay with any role or any responsibility,” Rahul told Star Sports.
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According to reports, RCB is preparing for a potential third stint with KL Rahul. There is speculation that Bengaluru may target Rahul as a captaincy option in the upcoming auction after releasing Faf du Plessis. Meanwhile, there have also been rumors about Virat Kohli potentially being reinstated as captain. However, Director of Cricket Mo Bobat stated that the franchise has not yet made any decisions regarding the captaincy.