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. On the back of a dream season by Kohli, Bangalore reached their third IPL final but lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by just eight runs to fall agonisingly short of the target. Batting first, Hyderabad posted a whopping 208, riding on skipper David Warner's 38-ball 69. In reply, Bangalore gave their best, with Chris Gayle scoring a 38-ball 76 and Kohli a 35-ball 54, but after their dismissals, the team went from 140/2 to 194/7.
"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," Rahul said while speaking to Star Sports. The wicketkeeper-batter scored just 11 runs off nine balls as Bangalore's runs dried up as soon as Gayle and Kohli departed. Despite the heartbreak, Rahul acknowledged enjoying IPL 2016 the most in his career with his home franchise. Rahul was part of Bangalore in his maiden season in IPL 2013 but played just five matches. "Most enjoyed playing with RCB (2016). You get to spend a lot of time at home. I know the Chinnaswamy well, I have grown up playing on that ground. So I enjoyed my time at RCB. (On wanting to be back) Yeah, of course," Rahul said.'If only'
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 12, 2024
KL Rahul on that 2016 final with RCB 👉 exclusive on @StarSportsIndia pic.twitter.com/m66kZFKkak
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