Kohli’s IPL commitment questioned — but Kaif clears the air
Speculation surrounding Virat Kohli’s future with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) reached a fever pitch after reports suggested the talismanic batter hadn’t renewed his commercial contract with the franchise. With whispers of an RCB ownership transition circulating in the background, fans began to wonder: could Kohli finally be moving on after 17 loyal seasons?
Mohammad Kaif has put those rumours to rest. In a video posted on his Instagram account, the former India batter rubbished all talk of Kohli’s IPL retirement or a potential franchise switch.
“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.
Why the delay in Kohli’s commercial deal?
Kaif acknowledged that the only piece of uncertainty lies in the commercial agreement — not Kohli’s playing future. He attributed the delay to behind-the-scenes developments involving a potential shift in RCB’s ownership.
“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.”
A career far from finished
Far from winding down, Kohli’s performances in recent years have shown he’s still very much in his prime. Kaif highlighted Kohli’s consistency and match-winning contributions across formats as proof that retirement talk is premature — and misinformed.
“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.”
The final word
Kohli’s silence may have sparked speculation, but Kaif’s statement leaves little room for doubt: the RCB stalwart isn’t calling it quits. For fans worried about seeing Kohli in a different jersey or not at all next season, the message is loud and clear — he’s going nowhere.
