‘Hunger never dies’: Virat Kohli to play for RCB till 2030, says franchise CEO

3 min readUpdated: Jun 19, 2026 12:24 PM IST

Virat Kohli is expected to play for RCB at least until 2030, according to CEO Rajesh Menon. (CREIMAS)

Virat Kohli’s association with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru isn’t coming to a close anytime. After a 17-year wait, Kohli and RCB have achieved the double in the Indian Premier League, winning back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026.

And while the franchise’s ownership is set to change hands, Kohli’s relationship with RCB is expected to continue for at least another four years.

“RCB and Virat are different sides of the same coin,” RCB Ceo Rajesh Menon said in an interaction with CNBC TV18. “He has been the constant factor for RCB throughout. We have not seen him not being part of RCB even if he moves out of his cricketing career. We have to figure out.

“That said, next three to four years, I’m sure he’ll be playing…for at least four years. He is fit; the hunger never dies. You saw him this IPL season bring on the energy, runs, attitude….everything was there. Three to four years, absolutely no problem,” Menon added.

There is one year remaining in the current Mega Auction cycle before the rosters will churn again in 2028. Kohli remains the face of RCB’s campaigns on and off the field, emerging the highest run-scorers in both of their title-winning runs in 2025 and 2026 with 600-plus runs seasons. Kohli top-scored in the IPL 2026 final last month, helping RCB wipe out Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with an unbeaten 75.

Elected Player of the Final, Kohli said: “I just give my heart and soul out there on the field, whether I’m fielding or batting, because it’s going to finish one day.And I want to make the most of every day that I’m on the field and just enjoy myself and have a lot of fun and look forward to a pressure situation, look forward to scenarios where I’m feeling a bit of heat. And then I challenge myself to say, you know what, just go for it. And when you cross the line, it makes you a better player.

While he picked up a hamstring injury in the final and missed out on the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan, the soon-to-be 38 Kohli has expressed his commitment towards making the 2027 World Cup.

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“We’re in mid-2026. I have been asked many times, ‘Do you want to play in 2027?’ Why would I leave home, get my stuff over and be like ‘I don’t know what I want’,” Kohli said on a recent RCB podcast. “Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket, I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.”

Kohli, however, affirmed that he would only continue playing without having to re-establish his credentials as a batter.

My perspective is very clear,” Kohli said. “If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen.