Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team manager Avinash Vaidya recently spoke about the franchise’s decision to let go of local talent KL Rahul. The wicketkeeper-batter was released ahead of the IPL 2018 mega auction.
Vaidya revealed that he had discussed the retention with Rahul and noted that although negotiations took place, the team management ultimately chose to release the star batter. He shared these insights in an interview with cricket.com/tv.
“It was this (very) close. I remember he (KL Rahul) was on a flight. That Indian team was traveling to South Africa, and we were chatting in parts because there was a negotiation that was going on.”
“In between his flight from here to Dubai, I had some news for him. So, during the stay of over about two hours in Dubai, we were able to talk. Unfortunately, that was the last day, and by the time he landed in South Africa, we were able to somehow not…probably it was not meant to be.”
RCB retained three players before the IPL 2018 auction—Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and uncapped Sarfaraz Khan. KL Rahul, who played for RCB in 2013 and moved to SRH in 2014 for ₹1 crore, later rejoined Bengaluru, with Vaidya revealing details about his second stint.
“I Had to Request Them”: Vaidya On Attempting KL Rahul’s 2016 Return To RCB
KL Rahul joined RCB before the 2016 season via the transfer window. Avinash Vaidya revealed that he had approached SRH’s management to request Rahul’s release. Speaking in the same interview, Vaidya stated:
“Even though KL ended up in SRH, but I can tell you with confirmation that I think I played a bit of a role in trying to get him back to RCB. It was a small role, but it is a large-hearted effort of VVS Laxman, Muttiah Muralitharan, and the owners of SRH and the CEO.”
“They were quite convinced of the fact that KL was on the benches most of the time, so I had to request them and try and see if they can release him,” he concluded.
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