'I've been approached to come in auction' - Virat Kohli sheds light on loyalty with RCB

Virat Kohli has gone strength to strength over the years and so is the Indian Premier League. The gala competition has witnessed some exciting battles over the 22 yards with stalwarts from different corners plying their trade. However, in the 14 seasons of the competition, Kohli is the only player to represent one franchise. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked him in the draft ahead of the inaugural edition in 2008, and the rest is history.

Interestingly, Kohli never even landed in the auction pool. Although the right-handed batter slammed a plethora of runs in his IPL career, he couldn’t take RCB to glory even once. Hence, many questions were raised over Kohli’s role and contribution. However, no factor has been able to break the Kohli-RCB association so far. The 33-year-old even stated that he would play for RCB till the time he plays IPL.

Speaking of his bond with the team, Kohli revealed that he has been approached by different franchises to land in the auction pool. The veteran batter, however, feels his loyalty with RCB is far more greater than winning the title with any other team.

Virat Kohli determined to stay with RCB

“I’ve been approached a few times as well – to come into the auction somehow – I have thought about it. There have been many great players who have won trophies and things like that but no one addresses you like that. If you are a good person, people like you and if you are a bad guy, they stay away from you,” said Kohli in the RCB podcast.

“Eventually, that’s what life is all about. The loyalty with RCB, like how I follow my life, is far greater than five people saying you’ve finally won the IPL with XYZ. What this franchise has given to me in the first three years, and believed in me, that is the most special thing,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kohli stepped down as RCB captain following the conclusion of the last season. However, he’ll continue to offer his services as a batter. He has been retained by the franchise for INR 15 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.