Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, that cauldron of noise and neon, has seen its share of cricket epics. But for KL Rahul, captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, one missed chance from 2016 still stings like a fresh cut. In a candid interview on April 16, 2025, with a leading cricket broadcaster, Rahul peeled back the layers on his biggest regret from nine seasons in the Indian Premier League: not clinching the title for Royal Challengers Bengaluru at their roaring home ground.
“That 2016 season was electric,” Rahul said, his voice steady but laced with a trace of ache. He was 24 then, a young gun for RCB, smashing runs in a campaign that felt like destiny. The team stormed to the final, powered by a batting lineup that could make bowlers flinch—Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Rahul himself, who piled on 397 runs at a strike rate north of 146. Chinnaswamy was their fortress, a compact ground where sixes rained and crowds shook the stands. “Winning there, in front of those fans, would’ve been something else,” he admitted. “Unforgettable.”
RCB’s 2016 run was a high-wire act. They finished the league stage with seven wins in 14 games, scraping into the playoffs. Rahul’s 51 not out off 28 balls in a must-win qualifier against Gujarat Lions was a spark, helping RCB chase 159 with 10 balls to spare. In the final, though, against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on May 29, 2016, the dream unraveled. RCB posted 200, with Kohli’s 54 and Gayle’s 76 setting a steep target. But David Warner’s 69 and Ben Cutting’s late blitz carried Sunrisers to an eight-run win. Rahul, batting at three, scored 11 off 9. “We were so close,” he said in the interview, pausing as if replaying the moment. “It hurts to think about.”
Rahul’s numbers that year were no fluke—his 397 runs came at an average of 44.11, with four fifties. He was named RCB’s best batsman at the season’s end, a nod from the franchise’s official records. Yet the trophy slipped away, and with it, the chance to etch his name into Chinnaswamy’s lore. “You don’t get many shots like that,” he said, his words clipped, like a man who’s learned to live with the sting.
Now 33, Rahul has carved a stellar IPL career, leading Lucknow to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. He’s scored 4,683 runs across 132 matches through 2024, per the IPL’s official stats, with a highest of 132 not out. But 2016 remains a ghost. The Chinnaswamy faithful, known for their feverish loyalty, still chant for RCB’s first title. Rahul, who left the franchise in 2017, hasn’t played there as an RCB player since. “Those fans deserve it,” he said. “I wish we’d done it for them.”
The interview, aired during a pre-match show for the 2025 IPL season, came as Rahul prepared to face RCB at Chinnaswamy on April 18. Lucknow fell short, losing by 17 runs, with Rahul scoring 24 off 18. No official statement from RCB or the IPL confirmed Rahul’s comments as a rallying cry, but his words carried weight. They were a rare glimpse into a player’s unguarded heart, a reminder that even cricket’s cool heads carry scars.
Rahul’s regret is rooted in fact: RCB’s 2016 final was their third shot at the IPL crown, after losses in 2009 and 2011. The franchise’s trophy cabinet remains empty, a point underscored in their 2024 season review, which noted another playoff exit. For Rahul, now a veteran steering a younger Lucknow side, the past fuels the present. He’s contracted with Lucknow through 2025, per the IPL’s retention list, and will return to Chinnaswamy next season. Whether he’ll conquer that old regret is anyone’s guess. For now, it’s a story without an ending—just a batsman, a stadium, and a what-if that won’t fade.