Virat Kohli outlines two goals after RCB offers him ₹21 crore for 'next IPL cycle': 'One of them is…'

Kohli has made history as the only player in the IPL to have remained with the same team throughout his career. Joining RCB in 2008, Kohli has spent 18 years with the team, evolving from a young player to captain and now a legendary figure. Despite his best efforts, RCB is one of the three original eight teams that have never won the IPL title. With only three players retained from the previous squad, RCB is looking for a fresh start, and Kohli is determined to play a pivotal role in ending the franchise's title drought.

"Very excited with the chance to create a squad at this auction, something that I'm really looking forward to as a franchise, as a team. And also just looking ahead in this cycle. In the next three years, obviously the goal is to win the IPL title at least once. We're going to give our best shot as always and I'll try to make everyone proud, with the way we play out cricket," Kohli said in a video shared by RCB shortly after the retentions were revealed.

Out of their 25-member squad last season, RCB have retained only Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Mohammed Siraj. Patidar has enjoyed a couple of memorable years with RCB, scoring 333 runs from eight games in 2023 and 395 from 15 in 2024. Siraj, meanwhile, accounted for a combined tally of 34 wickets across the last two seasons. Kohli's retention, obviously, was a no-brainer, not only because he won the Orange Cap this year, scoring over 700 runs, but also for becoming synonymous with the franchise.

Kohli finds himself in the thick of things again, with his name floating up in captaincy discussions. He gave up captaincy after the IPL 2021, and while chances of Kohli returning to the leadership looks unlikely, in cricket – especially the IPL – never say never. A lot will depend on the players RCB can acquire at the auction. If one of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul becomes their star attraction, Kohli will be content to continue as a player.

"Everyone knows what RCB means to me. It's been a very special relation over so many years, which continues to grow stronger and what I have experienced playing for RCB is truly special. And I hope the fans and everyone connected to the franchise think the same way. At the end of the cycle, it's going to be 20 years that I am going to be playing for RCB, and that in itself is a very special feeling to me. I never thought that I am going to play for so many years for one team. I don’t see myself going anywhere else," mentioned Kohli.