'To be very honest I thought about it..' - Virat Kohli recalls when he thought about leaving RCB

Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time and has amassed numerous accolades throughout his illustrious career. However, the elusive Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy has remained beyond his grasp. Despite commanding a formidable squad, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have only reached the final of the tournament.

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When questioned about whether he ever contemplated joining another franchise, perhaps thinking that the 'grass was greener' on the other side, Kohli affirmed this notion. During a conversation with RCB in 2022, he disclosed that several franchises had approached him to enter the auction, but he ultimately chose to uphold his loyalty to the Bengaluru-based franchise.

"To be very honest I thought about it. Yes, I won't shy away from it and I have been approached many times as well to come into the auction somehow, put my name there and stuff. And then I thought about it, I was like at the end of the day everyone has X numbers of years that they live and then you die and life moves on. There would have been many great people who won trophies but no one addresses you like that. No one addresses you in the room like 'Oh he's an IPL champion or he's a World Cup champion. It's like if you are a good person, people like you, if you're a bad guy, they just stay away from you and eventually that's what life is all about," Kohli elucidated the rationale behind his choice to remain with RCB.

It is not the end of the world for me: Kohli

The legendary batter values his loyalty to RCB which is a franchise that showed faith in him when others did not, more than the prospect of joining another team with the potential to secure an IPL trophy. One feels good for five minutes, but in the sixth minute, they could be miserable with other issues in life. Therefore, it is not the end of the world for them.

"For me the understanding that the loyalty with RCB like how I follow my life is far greater than the fact that five people in the room will say oh finally you win the IPL with whoever XYZ. You feel good for five minutes but the sixth minute you could be miserable with some other issues in life. So it is not the end of the world for me,” Kohli said.