KL Rahul Takes Screenshots Of IPL 2016 Final When It Is Broadcast And Says It Still Hurts - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli’s captaincy stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) came to an end in the IPL 2021 season. He ended up without a trophy in his kitty, having failed to grasp two chances at winning.

The 33-year-old recalled the IPL 2016 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) where RCB was cruising in their run chase. Both Kohli and Chris Gayle were going great guns but the former’s wicket triggered a stunning collapse.

They failed to recover from it and ended up conceding the trophy. Speaking about that painful night, Kohli said that KL Rahul, who was part of the squad back then, continues to hurt over the loss in the final.

“The final, I feel like it was written, how could the finals be in Bangalore, after we play that kind of a season, and we are playing that kind of a game at 100-0 after 9 overs. To this date, KL takes screenshots of that game when it is broadcasted and says it still hurts.”

“And it does hurt to an extent. You have to think about that game every now and then. We were not good enough on that day. That is one game where I feel like, it hurts. From all the IPL seasons I’ve been a part of, we had it right in front of us,” Kohli said on an RCB podcast.

“Not winning a title as captain disappoints me” – Virat Kohli

Kohli ended his national team captaincy tenure without a trophy as well. But the closest he has come is the IPL 2016 final, a night where he believes they weren’t courageous enough to lay claim to the trophy.

“In 2016, KL Rahul’s career graph changed, and he agrees with me on this. That season was obviously unbelievable, four guys performing at their peak, game in game out, very rare to see that in T20 cricket. We felt like, even though we were not doing well in the season, we could make it. The belief never went away, which I think is very difficult to create.”

“Not winning a title as captain disappoints me, I would say we had opportunities, where we came close. We have to accept the fact that the reason we have not won is because we have not been as courageous, or as clear in our plans as we should have been in those moments. You could say that the odds were stacked against us in terms of expectations, but you have to deal with those expectations,” Kohli added.

Kohli has been retained by RCB for INR 15 crore but he will not be playing as the captain.

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