Virat Kohli opens up on why he absolutely loves the IPL
Team India and Royal Challengers Bangalore star batter Virat Kohli has said that he loves playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) because the tournament gives players an opportunity to share camaraderie with many new players. He also added that IPL has been a huge success because of its 'connect' with players and fans.
The 35-year-old skipped the ongoing India-England series to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. He will return to action during the upcoming edition of the IPL, which begins on March 22.
IPL 2024 kicks off with a clash between Chennai Super Kings and RCB at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
"I absolutely love IPL, also because of the camaraderie you share, so many new players you play with, so many players that you've known for a long time who are not from your own country, whom you don't see often," Kohli told Star Sports during an interaction.
"There's a reason why everyone loves IPL so much, as there's a connect, both for players and fans," the former RCB captain went on to add.
Kohli is the all-time leading run-getter in the Indian Premier League. In 237 games, he has amassed 7,263 runs at an average of 37.24 and a strike rate of 130.02.
He's the only batter with more than 7,000 runs in the T20 league and also holds the record for most hundreds (seven) in the tournament.
“In ICC tournaments, you don't interact with other players so often” - Kohli
During the aforementioned interaction, Kohli also emphasized how the IPL is vastly different from ICC events.
He highlighted that there's limited interaction among players from different nations at ICC events, which is not the case in the IPL.
"You do play all your tournaments which is one team versus another. ICC tournaments come every now and then, but even in ICC tournaments, you don't interact with other players or see the other team, so often," Kohli noted.
"But in IPL, you're probably meeting every team just every second or third day, and that's the beauty of IPL. You are playing in different conditions in a different city with a different team. Everybody has a different kind of determination at various stages of the tournament, and such magical moments are being created," he added.
Kohli had a brilliant IPL 2023 season, smashing 639 runs in 14 innings at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 139.82, with two hundreds and six fifties.