Virat Kohli has been part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise since the IPL 2008.
India batter Virat Kohli has been associated with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He is the only player to play all the seasons for one franchise.
Kohli has also led RCB, although they have failed to win a single IPL title despite being favorites in multiple seasons. Currently, he is not the RCB captain, after quitting the role at the conclusion of last season.
The 33-year-old spoke on his connection with the franchise and he admitted that Bengaluru city has a special place in his heart.
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"It’s always had a strong impact on my life starting from the time we used to come to Bangalore for the Under-14, Under-15 NCA camps and we used to be there for 2-2.5 months at one stretch so we used to explore quite a bit of Bangalore even then.
“The city has a very different feel to any other place in India. It is just when you arrive, you land at the airport and you are driving to the hotel, you just feel like you’ve come home. That’s a very difficult feeling to get in a city that you haven’t been born and grown up in and you just go there for a period in the year," said Kohli on the RCB podcast.
Kohli further said that the friends he made in Bengaluru are very nice people and he never felt like they are trying to take advantage in any way.
"I have made some amazing friends there. Absolutely chilled out people, very nice people. I haven't felt that the friends I have made in Bengaluru have tried to capitalise on who I have become. They have always stayed true to the organic side of the friendship," he said.
Here is the RCB podcast: