Almost every cricket fan using social media must have read about the rumor of KL Rahul coming home to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team in IPL 2025. Rahul is a Karnataka boy, and he has played for the RCB team in the past as well.
However, in the last seven seasons, Rahul has played for Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. He captained PBKS in 2020 and 2021, followed by a captaincy stint with LSG from 2022 to 2024. The retention list is yet to come out, but many feel that Rahul could leave LSG after the way the team’s owner publicly scolded him after the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024.
If Rahul leaves LSG, RCB could target him at the auction because they need a captain to succeed Faf du Plessis, who has turned 40 and may not be active for three seasons now. Interestingly, RCB team has given three hints that KL Rahul is coming home. Here’s a look at those hints.
1. RCB posted picture of KL Rahul with Virat Kohli at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು boys! 😌@klrahul | @imVkohli | #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/eST1WarEhO
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) October 14, 2024
IPL teams generally post the pictures of their team’s players only on social media. However, RCB surprisingly chose to post a photo of Rahul batting with Virat Kohli, that too at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. This picture was clicked while the two batters practiced for the upcoming Test match against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
2. RCB posted MRF bat with SG bat in social media bat
In case you missed it, RCB posted a special image to celebrate Ayudha Pooja. In that picture, the MRF bat of Virat Kohli was present alongside an SG bat. While RCB women’s team skipper Smriti Mandhana also uses an SG bat, many fans wondered if this was another hint of Rahul’s homecoming because Rahul bats with SG as well.
3. RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik’s surprising quote on a show
Dinesh Karthik has joined RCB as a mentor and batting coach for IPL 2025. Ahead of the mega auction, Karthik was asked on Cricbuzz, who should win the IPL trophy first – Virat Kohli or KL Rahul. The RCB mentor replied:
“Virat Kohli is a part of my team. I pray to God that Virat Kohli wins the trophy first.” Further, Karthik said, “If KL Rahul is in the team, it will be better.”
This statement clearly hints that Karthik might be planning to bring Rahul to RCB in the near future. It will be interesting to see if Rahul leaves LSG first.
