Former India captain Virat Kohli has responded to jokes around him being called Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) overseas player in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Kohli had gone back to his London home to spend time with family after the ODI series against New Zealand in January. The 37-year-old has moved away from the spotlight and only returns to India when he has a personal/official commitment, an ODI series, domestic cricket commitment or the IPL. Ahead of RCB’s clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 5, host Danish Sait aka Mr Nags, asked: “People are saying RCB are playing five overseas players, I am not understanding what they are saying actually.”
"I don't know, why are you asking me? Ask the overseas players. I am not an overseas player. Am I an overseas player?" Kohli replied with a smile on his face.
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Kohli scored an unbeaten 69 in defending champions' run chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28 in their campaign opener. The opener was asked how he felt after winning the title last year after being a part of the franchise since the inaugural season.
"I had heard of this statement or this saying, four years, monkey off the back. That night I really felt what it means. Everything became light," he said.
Kohli also asked about what victory means to him. He said that it is the fruit of a player's hard work, sacrifices and commitment. He pointed how people get disheartened after losses and the need to stay motivated.
“Victory is the accumulation of hard work, all the sacrifices you’ve made, to be committed to the sport. It all comes together as a form of assurance, a reward, to know that you haven’t wasted your time. A lot of people learn from losses, but a lot of people can get very disheartened as well. So when you win after a lot of hard work, it makes you feel a sense of justice to the work that you put in, and also gives you motivation to work harder," Kohli said.
Kohli’s record vs CSK
RCB's next game is against CSK after a long break. Kohli has a good record against CSK, scoring 1,160 runs from 35 innings at an average of 37.41 and strike rate of 127.61. He has 10 fifties against the franchise.