Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli kicked off his preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season on Sunday (March 16).

In several videos doing rounds on social media, Kohli can be seen fine-tuning his batting skills in the nets, warming up and doing light exercises with his RCB teammates at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Kohli was retained for INR 21 crore by RCB ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction last year. He was expected to return as a captain this season, but during an event in Bengaluru last month, the franchise named Rajat Patidar as the new leader.

Having played a key role in India’s recent Champions Trophy triumph, Virat Kohli would like to end his 18-year-long wait for the first-ever IPL title this year.

Kohli finished as the leading run-getter in IPL 2025, but RCB were knocked out of the tournament after losing to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. They haven’t played in the IPL final since the 2016 season.

RCB will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on March 22 at the Eden Gardens.