IPL gave me platform to show my capabilities, compete against best in world: Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the former captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has expressed thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise for believing in him when no one else did. The 33-year-old was bought by RCB in 2008 after he guided India U19 to victory in the World Cup.

Kohli continued to rise from there, eventually becoming the all-time highest scorer in the T20 tournament. He is one of only two players in the league to have scored 6000+ runs along with Shikhar Dhawan. The Delhi-born cricketer thanked the IPL for providing him with the opportunity to play alongside the top players from all around the globe.

“I think outside of playing for India, the IPL gave me the platform to show my capabilities, compete against the best in the world, and share knowledge with them. I think that was the most important thing that added a different dimension to my understanding of the game. This helped me move ahead in a very progressive way,” Kohli said on the ‘Inside RCB’ show on Star Sports.

“I was picking the brains of people that I probably wouldn’t have come across otherwise on things, like how to play in different conditions and what mindset they have. You know, people have different ways to succeed, so it can’t be just one template. So I used to be so excited and grateful for the opportunity to pick their brains and just learn from them day in and day out and that’s, for me, has been the standout feature of IPL,” he added.

For me, the loyalty with RCB is more important: Virat Kohli

Kohli has been with the franchise since the inception of the IPL. He also opened up about how he has been approached to get his name in the auction and try for other franchises, but he stuck by RCB, emphasizing the importance of loyalty in the game and well as in life. “To be very honest I thought about it. Yes, I won’t shy away from it and I have been approached many times as well to come into the auction somehow, put my name there and stuff. And then I thought about it, I was like at the end of the day everyone has X numbers of years that they live and then you die and life moves on.

“There would have been many great people who won trophies but no one addresses you like that. No one addresses you in the room like ‘Oh he’s an IPL champion or he’s a World Cup champion.

“For me, the understanding that loyalty with RCB, like how I follow my life, is far greater than the fact that five people in the room will say, ‘oh finally, you win the IPL with whoever XYZ’. You feel good for five minutes, but then in the sixth minute, you could be miserable with some other issues in life. So, it is not the end of the world for me,” Kohli stated.

Kohli stepped down as the captain of RCB last year and was retained by the franchise as their first pick before the IPL 2022 auction.