Former India cricketer and RCB batter Mohammad Kaif has dismissed all speculation surrounding Virat Kohli’s IPL retirement, calling the rumours baseless. Kaif expressed complete confidence that Kohli will continue to play in the upcoming seasons of the Indian Premier League and will not part ways with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise he has represented since the league’s inception.
Recent discussions about Kohli’s IPL future began circulating after reports suggested that RCB might be up for sale. While it remains uncertain whether Kohli has signed his latest commercial agreement, Kaif reassured fans that there is no cause for concern.
“Is Virat Kohli retiring from IPL? No guys, Virat Kohli had promised that he will play his first and last match for Bengaluru only. He has promised this and since he has done it, he will not back out. But people are saying he hasn’t signed a commercial deal. There are two deals, players’ contract and commercial contract,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
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Commercial Angle
Kaif believes that Kohli’s delay in signing the commercial deal might be linked to potential ownership changes within the franchise.
“The reason he has not signed a commercial contract is because a new owner might come for RCB and they will control the franchise. That’s why he is waiting, if there’s a change, then there will be negotiation and all. These are all behind-the-scenes stuff and we don’t have a lot of information about these things. He is waiting for all that,” he added.
Kaif further emphasized that Kohli is fully committed to RCB and will not consider joining any other IPL franchise. He also highlighted Kohli’s immense contribution to RCB’s maiden IPL title win last season, stressing that the star batter has plenty of cricket left in him.
“Virat Kohli has started playing only now. RCB has begun winning trophies now. Kohli scored 650+ runs and made them win the trophy. He made runs in the Champions Trophy 2025, he was the Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup 2024 final and was the Player of the Tournament in the 2023 World Cup. He has only started playing now. Now you have to wait for more. He is going nowhere. He will play only for RCB. He has promised it to the fans and he will not break it,” Kaif stated.
Kohli set for India return
Virat Kohli is now preparing to return to international action as part of India’s three-match ODI series against Australia, beginning on October 19. The 36-year-old last represented India in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March and will be eager to make a strong comeback after a prolonged break from the national side.
India’s ODI Squad for Australia Series
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
