Rajesh Menon is hardly the first person to be asked how long Virat Kohli will keep turning out in red, but as Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s CEO he has to give an answer. Speaking to CNBC TV18 this week, Menon could not imagine the franchise without its talisman.
“RCB and Virat are different sides of the same coin,” he said. “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 long-term link, he added, should stretch well beyond the current auction cycle, which expires after the 2027 season.
“That said, next three-four years, am 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-four years, absolutely no problem.”
Kohli did, in fairness, look as sharp as ever during IPL 2026. He scored 675 runs at 165.84 – his best strike-rate in any edition – and finished with a nerveless 75 not out in the final, guiding RCB to back-to-back titles. Only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians had defended an IPL crown before.
After that win, he tried to explain what still drives him at 37.
“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,” he said. “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.”
The Test and T20I retiree still sees the 2027 50-over World Cup as a realistic target, fitness permitting. A hamstring strain ruled him out of the current Afghanistan series, yet chief selector Ajit Agarkar expects him to be ready for England’s visit in July.
Kohli put it plainly on the RCB podcast earlier in the year:
“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’. Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket, I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.”
While he relishes the stage, he is not keen on endless auditions.
“My perspective is very clear,” he 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.
“If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space. And because I’m be” – the line trailed off, but the point had been made.
Menon, for his part, is relaxed about both the short and long term. RCB’s next mega auction is still two years away; for now they can build around a batter who shows few physical or mental signs of decline.
Four more seasons might sound optimistic when a player heads towards 40, yet the evidence is on the pitch. Kohli’s running between the wickets remains sharp, his slip catching was flawless during the playoffs, and the strike-rate jump hints at a willingness to evolve.
Beyond numbers, there is, as ever, the example he sets. “Sport, as you know, teaches you a lot as a person as well,” he reminded reporters last month. “So you build your character slowly and surely when you keep performing under pressure. And for me, even after all these years and numbers and whatever you said, it’s still the love for the game. I just love hitting the ball in the middle of the bat. And that joy is still there.”
It appears the feeling is mutual. RCB see no reason to imagine life without Kohli; Kohli, judging by the smile that followed another trophy lift, is in no hurry to imagine life without them either.
