India batter Virat Kohli said that franchises have often asked him to take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions. But as of now, the 33-year-old has preferred staying at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after making his debut for them back in 2008.
Kohli was drafted into the RCB setup after he led India to glory in the U19 World Cup in Malaysia. During the tournament that India won by beating South Africa in the final, Kohli also made a sparkling century against the West Indies.
RCB was quick to rope in him and the decision paid dividends big time. Although the Challengers couldn’t win a title under him, Kohli is currently the all-time leading run-scorer in the history of the T20 tournament.
Kohli took over as RCB’s skipper from the 2013 edition after he replaced Daniel Vettori, who joined the team’s coaching staff. The Delhi-born cricketer led the Challengers in nine seasons before steeping down last year.
Virat Kohli shares his views
“I’ve been approached a few times as well — to come into the auction somehow — I have thought about it,” Kohli was quoted as saying in RCB podcast.
“The loyalty with RCB, like how I follow my life, is far greater than five people saying you’ve finally won the IPL with XYZ. You feel good for five minutes and then the sixth minute you could be miserable with some other issue in life,” he added.
Under Kohli, the Challengers also played the final of the 2016 IPL where they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. In that very season, Kohli smashed four tons and almost reached the 1000-run mark in a single IPL edition.
The RCB team is set to undergo a massive revamp after Kohli relinquished captaincy. Not only will they have to find an apt skipper, who could replace the veteran, they will also need to look in for AB de Villiers’ replacement.
Back in 2011, de Villiers joined RCB after playing three seasons for the Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals. After playing 11 seasons for Kohli and Co. the former South Africa batter decided to retire from all forms of cricket last year. RCB retained Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj before the mega auction.
