'It's not an option:' KL Rahul recalls what Virat Kohli told him while joining RCB in 2012

Star India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has impressed everyone with his skillset ever since his foray. While he made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut back in 2014, it's unknown to many that he was a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise prior to that in 2012. 

Now, in a recent revelation, the premier batter opened up on how he was recruited by the RCB franchise. 

Rahul recounted when he was 19 years old, he was approached by RCB's then-team manager Avinash Vaidya who in turn, called up Virat Kohli to meet for the signing of his first IPL contract.

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Rahul recounts memories of his maiden IPL contract signing

Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin in a video on his YouTube channel, KL Rahul revealed the conversation he had with Virat Kohli ahead of signing his maiden IPL contract.

"Virat 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.'"

Interestingly, during his initial stint with RCB, KL Rahul did not feature in any matches. Nonetheless, he played a pivotal role in their journey to the final of the IPL 2016 season, where they ultimately lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

In addition to his stints with RCB and SRH, KL Rahul has also represented the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and currently leads the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Being from Bengaluru, Rahul also admitted that initially, he aspired to spend his entire IPL career with RCB.

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