Virat Kohli is the only player in the history of IPL so far who has represented one single franchise since the start of the event. he joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) before the IPL 2008, and has been playing for the team ever since. though he struggled in the beginning seasons of the IPL, RCB never stopped backing him. He was always a regular player in the playing XI for the RCB, and became a strong force with his bat since the IPL 2011.
While Kohli is the biggest player for RCB and looks like he will play for them forever, there was once a time when he had the opportunity to leave the franchise. Speaking to Robin Uthappa on JioCinema in 2023, Kohli gave a hint about him leaving the franchise earlier in his IPL career if he wanted.
Kohli had a conversation with another franchise. However, the franchise did not pay attention to Kohli’s suggestion of him batting in top three.
“It’s been amazing. Why I value this partnership and journey with RCB so much, is because in the first 3 years of the IPL, they backed me a lot. Even when the retentions happened, they said, ‘we want to retain you’. My only feedback to Ray Jennings at the time was ‘I want to bat in top-order. I bat at 3 for India, and I want to bat at 3’. And they said, ‘okay, you will bat at 3’. They showed faith in me at the time when I needed it. I was growing in my international career as well,” Virat said.
“That is of more value for me. I won’t take names but another franchise who I spoke to at the time… they were not even keen enough to listen to me. I was playing lower down the order at the time (5-6). I was like, ‘if I could get the opportunity to bat in the top of the order somewhere else…’ The same franchise, because I had played for India and performed in 2011, before the retention, came to me and said, ‘can you please come to the auction?’ I said, ‘no chance. I will always be with the franchise that backs me.”
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