NEW DELHI:
Virat Kohli
has gone on record more than once that he will never play for any other team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) except
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(RCB).
RCB had bought Virat Kohli for a price of USD 30,000 for the 2008 IPL after he led India to victory in the 2008 U19 World Cup.
In the 2008 IPL auction, Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) had a chance to go for Kohli but they opted for Pradeep Sangwan, a left-arm pacer, to beef up their bowling unit and then RCB bought Kohli.
In all these years, RCB have failed to win the IPL trophy since 2008 even though they have reached the final thrice - in 2009, 2011 and 2016, but Virat has stuck to his words and has remained loyal to the franchise.
In 2008, RCB was co-owned by
Vijay Mallya
and ahead of the team reaching the
playoffs
after a remarkable turnaround, Mallya sent across his best wishes to the team and Virat.
Mallya posted on X, "When I bid for the RCB franchise and I bid for Virat, my inner instinct told me that I could not have made better choices. My inner instinct tells me that RCB have the best chance to go for the IPL Trophy. Onward and Upward. Best of luck."
After a poor start to IPL 2024, RCB won six consecutive games to qualify for the playoffs.
RCB take on Rajasthan Royals in the
Eliminator
on Wednesday and if they win, they will play Sunrisers Hyderabad in
Qualifier
2 for a spot in the final where they will meet Kolkata Knight Riders.
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