Kings XI Punjab batsman KL Rahul revealed how Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli had welcomed him into the team. Rahul had made his IPL debut for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he was welcomed by the skipper in style. In fact, it is well known that Rahul and the Indian skipper Virat Kohli share a great bonhomie.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is well known to welcome the young players into the team. He likes to make the young players more comfortable by getting to know them. In fact, it is pivotal that the skipper of the side gels well with the remaining squad. It is prudent to say that the captain of the side is like that glue which keeps the team together.
Rahul had a fine previous season.
On the other hand, KL Rahul had other expectations when he went on to sign the contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, he also encountered Virat Kohli, who welcomed him with open arms.
“The day when I went to sign my RCB contract papers is my next great memory. I thought it would just me signing the papers with some manager,” Rahul told Redbull.
“But I remember I walked into the room and there was a full team meeting with the directors; Virat Kohli was also sitting there. I walked into the room like I was the coolest person there but suddenly I saw everyone and thought, “What have I walked into?” The contract is about 20-30 pages so it took me a while to go through it.
In fact, KL Rahul got to play with the best in the business. Sharing the dressing room with the likes of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle must have added to his confidence.
“After that Virat came to me, put an arm around my shoulder and said, ‘Welcome to the team. We are going to have a blast.’ That was a big moment for me and also the start of my first IPL season so I think of all the cricketers I played with then; Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Zaheer Khan, and everyone else. Just getting to hang out with all of them is what I remember fondly.
On the other hand, KL Rahul had a great previous season for the Kings XI Punjab. Rahul was the third highest run-getter of the 11th edition of the league as he amassed 659 runs in 14 matches. Furthermore, he had scored the fastest fifty of the IPL as he had reached the personal milestone in 14 balls against Delhi Capitals.
“Last year was also very special individual. I played for Punjab and got over 600 runs in the season. I also got the record for the fastest 50 in the IPL last season,” he said.
Kings XI Punjab will begin their IPL campaign against Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on 25th March.