IPL 2025: RCB retained three players this time, out of which Virat Kohli is number one. Virat was retained for a huge amount of 21 crores. With this, he became the only batsman to play for 18 years with a single franchise. After being retained, a video was released by RCB in which he indicated that he would like to continue playing competitive cricket till 2027, in which his goal is to complete 20 years with RCB.

There has been a lot of speculation about Kohli's playing time at the top level as the 36-year-old has not been able to make much of a splash in the last four years since the onset of Covid-19. He has been playing for RCB since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 and has been among the highest run-scorers in the competition. He has scored over 8,000 runs at an impressive strike rate of 131.97, including eight centuries and 55 half-centuries.

Wants to stay with RCB till 2027

Kohli indicated in the 'RCB Bold Diaries' that his goal is to play for at least three more years till 2027. He said in it, "At the end of this cycle, I will have completed 20 years of playing for RCB and this is a very special feeling for me. "

He said, "I never thought I would play for one team for so many years, but over the years the relationship has really become very special."

Kohli will not go to any other team.

He then said that he does not see himself playing for any other franchise. He said, "I do not see myself playing anywhere else except RCB. I am very happy that this happened. I am very excited that I got a chance to create a new team in this auction. We are excited about this as a franchise and a team. "

Kohli also spoke about his close relationship with the franchise and its fans and said that his aim would be to win the title for the team.

He said, "Everyone knows how important RCB is to me. This special relationship of so many years is constantly getting stronger. I hope the fans and everyone associated with the franchise will feel the same." Kohli said, "I am also eagerly waiting for this cycle. And of course, would the goal is to win the IPL title at least once in the next cycle. "

I want to win IPL once

He promised that RCB will leave no stone unturned to win the IPL title. Kohli said, "We will try our best as always and try to make everyone feel proud. Thank you very much for the support of the fans. I am grateful. "

After RCB retained Kohli, the franchise's head coach Andy Flower admitted that it was not surprising to retain him in the team as he will be crucial to RCB's success in the coming years.

The coach said the fans already knew.

Flower told 'JioCinema', "It will not be a surprise for anyone to retain Virat in India. He is important and will remain important for RCB's success in the future. His performance was excellent last year. He took us to the playoffs. " Apart from Kohli, RCB has also retained two more players Rajat Patidar (Rs 11 crore) and Yash Dayal (Rs 5 crore). Due to this,s the franchise will have an amount of Rs 83 crore to spend in the mega auction.