He might have decided to step down as Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) captain after the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, but Virat Kohli is still excited to play the cash-rich tournament.
According to Kohli, IPL is only getting better with each passing season and it is a big motivation for him to keep improving his game.
RCB will resume their IPL 2021 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on September 20 in Abu Dhabi.
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"The IPL is only getting better, so what drives me is to keep getting better as a cricketer and individual. Getting a chance to play with world-class cricketers every year is a great learning curve for me," said Kohli in a video posted on the official YouTube channel of RCB.
"Sport finishes at some stage, but learning never stops and I totally look to keep stepping up and improving my game every year because the IPL is only getting better."
Reflecting on his journey with RCB, Virat said: "Again, you think of these things, you look back at the journey and you feel grateful that you have been able to play for one franchise for so long. It is loyalty that has been very special to me and it has been a very strong bond. Mutual respect and love, care, something that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
When asked about the rivalry with KKR, the RCB captain said: "Like any side in the competition, KKR is a very strong side. We need to be at the top of our game, we have played well against them in the last couple of seasons and something we want to continue going ahead as well. We have some good memories and momentum but it does not mean we do not start with the same intent."
Virat Kohli had taken over the captaincy of RCB from former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori in 2013. He has led the team in 131 games so far, registering 60 wins and 64 losses.
Kohli on Sunday (September 19) announced that he will quit captaincy after the completion of IPL 2021 and will continue to play for RCB as a batsman.
“This will be my last leg in the IPL as captain of the RCB. I will continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. It was something that was on my mind for a while, as I had recently announced stepping down from T20 captaincy (of the country) to manage my workload.”
“I want to be able to be committed to the responsibilities that I am fulfilling and I felt I needed the space to be fresh, to regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward. This is just a little halt, it’s not the end of the journey,” he said.
