What if Virat Kohli plays for Mumbai Indians instead of RCB?

For 18 years, Virat Kohli has been the face of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), headlining their identity and carrying their dreams season after season. His loyalty to the franchise has been one of the most cherished moments in the league. The cricketer broke down after RCB lifted their maiden IPL title after an 18-year wait. Kohli’s teary-eyed celebration that night wasn’t just about a trophy; it was about the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But many question what if Virat Kohli had played for the Mumbai Indians (MI)? 

Since his IPL debut in 2008, Kohli has been with RCB. He is the only player in IPL history to have played for one franchise since the tournament’s inception. Over the years, he has scored over 7,500 runs, captained the team in 140+ matches, and carried RCB through both wins and heartbreaks. Despite several near-misses, including the 2016 final heartbreak, Kohli never switched teams.

When RCB finally broke the title jinx in 2025 by defeating Punjab Kings in the final, Kohli’s joy was shared by millions of fans who had stood by him and the franchise through thick and thin. The emotional celebrations with AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, his longtime teammates, grabbed attention.

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What if Virat Kohli plays for Mumbai Indians instead of RCB?

Now, if Kohli had been part of the Mumbai Indians, IPL’s joint-most successful franchise with five titles to their name. The prospect of Kohli walking out alongside Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav sounds like a dream for Indian cricket fans. For years, fans have witnessed Kohli and Rohit dominate together in blue. Carrying that chemistry into the IPL could have made MI virtually unstoppable.

In terms of team success, there’s no denying that MI’s trophy cabinet could have boosted Kohli’s IPL career. Surrounded by India’s finest T20 talents and supported by MI’s management and scouting setup, the cricketer might have added multiple IPL titles to his name much earlier. His batting style and leadership qualities would have complemented MI's ways of working.

However, success cannot be measured by trophies alone. What Kohli achieved at RCB was more than numbers or silverware. Even before their 2025 title, RCB had built one of the most passionate fan bases in world cricket, a following that surpassed MI. “Ee Sala Cup Namde” didn't just become a slogan, but a movement.

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Had he joined MI, Kohli might have won more trophies, but he would have shared the spotlight in a star-heavy setup. At RCB, he was the spotlight. Fans loved him not because he won titles but because he never stopped trying to win one. From a commercial perspective, a Kohli-Rohit partnership under MI’s brand value has been historic. The pairing of India’s two biggest cricketing icons in one IPL team would have drawn huge attention worldwide, boosting MI’s brand value even further.