Watch: Virat Kohli reacts after being retained by RCB once again, video goes viral

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium will continue to witness many more gorgeous cover drives and breathtaking flicks as Virat Kohli has been retained by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for a whopping INR 21 crore. On Thursday, October 31, the popular franchise gave its fans a special Diwali gift as they announced the retention of their former captain.

All the franchises submitted their final list of retentions on Thursday. RCB fans were waiting anxiously to see the players who would continue to represent their favourite team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. While there was no doubt regarding Kohli's continuation with RCB, cricket enthusiasts were waiting to see how much they would shell out from their purse to retain his services. Eventually, the former India captain turned out to be the costliest Indian cricketer retained for the IPL 2025 season.

The iconic batter expressed his elation via a video posted on RCB's social media handles. He was ecstatic upon getting the opportunity to continue serving the franchise he has been associated with since the league's inception in 2008.

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"Hi guys, a big hello to everyone at RCB. The fans, the people involved behind the scenes, the management, everyone. I'm sending out this message to inform everyone that I've been retained by RCB once again for the three-year cycle of the IPL, beginning next year. And I'm super-excited as ever. Everyone knows what RCB means to me. It has been a very, very special relation over so many years, which continues to grow stronger. And what I have experienced playing for RCB is truly, truly special. And I hope the fans and everyone who is connected to the franchise feels the same way," Kohli said in his video message.

"At the end of this cycle, it is going to be 20 years that I'm going to be playing for RCB and that in itself is a very, very special feeling for me. I never thought that I'm gonna play for so many years for one team. But the relation has truly become special over so many years and as I said before, I don't see myself anywhere else but RCB. So, I'm very, very happy that that happened," he added.

Goal is to win the IPL title at least once in the next cycle: Virat Kohli

Kohli is hopeful that the management will assemble a strong squad at the auction after having retained Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal as well. The Delhi batter said that the target will be to win the IPL title at least once in the upcoming three-year cycle.

Also Check: IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Retained Players, Released Players and Purse Remaining ahead of Mega Auction

"So, yeah, just very excited, a chance to create a strong new squad in this auction. Something that I'm really looking forward to as a franchise, as a team. And also, just looking ahead, in this cycle, the goal is to win the IPL title at least once in the next cycle and yeah, we are going to give it our best shot as always and try to make everyone proud of the way we play our cricket. So, a big shoutout to the fans for your unwavering support over so many years. Really grateful, really thankful, and I'll see you guys very soon at the Chinnaswamy. Cheers, take care," the 35-year-old signed off.