Virat Kohli has dropped some elaborate hints that he would want to continue competitive cricket till 2027 with an aim to complete 20 years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru after being retained by the franchise at a whopping fee of Rs 21 crore.
Having entered the twilight zone of his illustrious career, speculations are rife on how long the 36-year-old would continue in top-flight cricket having endured a prolonged lull for the last four years since the start of COVID-19.
He has played since the first season of IPL was launched in 2008, alongside being the highest scorer in the league, with runs over 8,000 at a healthy if not spectacular strike rate of 131.97, along with eight hundreds and 55 fifties.
At the end of this cycle, it will be 20 years when I would have played for RCB and that, in itself, is a very, very special feeling for me," Kohli said to 'RCB Bold Diaries,' further revealing that he wants to go on for at least three more years till 2027.
"I never thought I was going to play for so long with one team, but the relationship has really become special over so many years."
He makes it clear that he doesn't feel like playing for any other franchise.
I do not really see myself anywhere other than RCB, and very happy that it happened, I am really excited having got a chance to forge a new, strong side in this auction, that we are really looking to as a franchise, a team," said Kohli in the video for Bold Diaries, by RCB.
He also reflected on the fact that he was close to the franchise and its fans while what he sought was to win the elusive title.
I am as excited as ever because everyone knows what RCB means to me. It's been a very, very special relationship over so many years that is still growing stronger and the things that I have seen and experienced while playing for RCB are really special," he added further.
"I am also just looking forward to this cycle. Obviously, the goal is to win the IPL title at least once in the next cycle."
He assured that RCB will not leave anything behind in their pursuit to finally get the elusive IPL title.
We are going to give it our best shot as always and try to make everybody proud of the way we play our cricket. Huge shout out to the fans for your unwavering support over so many years. I am really grateful, really thankful, Kohli concluded.
Meanwhile, though Kohli's retention does not take the world by surprise, the head coach of the RCB, Andy Flower, believes that he himself would be the one key holder for the team.
"Virat's retention will not surprise anyone in India. He is and will be the key to RCB's success in the future. He was sensational last season. He was one of the leaders who took us into the playoffs despite a terrible first half of the season," he said during his interview with JioCinema.
Other than Kohli, RCB has retained two other players in the form of Rajat Patidar, who fetched Rs 11 crore and Yash Dayal at Rs 5 crore.
So, as a consequence, RCB will now have a purse of Rs 83 crore to work with for the mega auction, scheduled tentatively for later this month.
In the Right To Match (RTM) cards, they will hold three, thereby holding three more players of the team, which could consist of an uncapped player together with two capped players, or three capped players.
Some of the most prominent RCB players selling in the auction will include Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, and Cameron Green.
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