The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season is going to be a bit more challenging for Virat Kohli, as he has retired from the Test and T20I formats. Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan said that, unlike previous seasons when Kohli was an active batter in all formats, this season he will join the league as an ODI cricketer only, which can create more challenges for the former skipper.
Virat Kohli was the main piece of the IPL 2025-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) set-up. As one of the leading run scorers of the tournament, he guided the team to glory from the frontline. It will be interesting to see how he performs this season, after bidding adieu to the Twenty20 International format.
The hero of RCB, Virat Kohli, will have to face New challenges
Last session, the batting maestro scored 657 runs in 15 innings while maintaining an average of 54.75 and striking at 144.71. With eight half-centuries, he appeared as the most consistent batter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2025.
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Speaking on the YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan highlighted that the dynamics will be different for Kohli, as he joins RCB to play in the T20 format after a long break.
Kohli will start IPL 2026 after a break
“This time, things will be a little different for Kohli. For the first time, he will play the IPL having completely retired from Test cricket. He is playing only one format. It is not easy for anyone. But he has scored and his performance has been brilliant,” Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“Even when he comes after a break, it has not been difficult for him in one-day cricket. In T20s, when you play the aggressor and come in not having played a lot, it will be challenging. But he has faced many challenges before as well. I am very excited to see how he will go forward this season”, he also said.
Virat Kohli and RCB are an identity that goes together: Irfan Pathan
The former Indian cricketer reflected that since the inception of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli has been a constant part of the team. For Pathan, Virat, and RCB are now symmetric for the fans. The Delhi-born is the former skipper of the team, who witnessed a lot of tough situations throughout his career, and moved forward overcoming those hurdles as well. In this IPL campaign, Pathan is hopeful to see the star shining again with the Red and Black.
“Virat Kohli and RCB are an identity that goes together. He started with RCB and is still playing for them. He has delivered brilliant performances. It was also a golden period in his career when he captained the team, there were a lot of brilliant performances. When they won last season, his strike rate also went up. He did not play anchor but took the role of an aggressor. It was a very big factor. They will expect even this time that he keeps up the same form,” Pathan stated.
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