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It has been a sad day for Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore as the franchise's dream run in IPL 2021 finally came to an end following a close defeat at the hands of KKR in Sharjah. While the loss meant the end of RCB's journey in UAE, it also marked the conclusion of Kohli's tenure as captain of RCB in Indian Premier League. The 32-year-old had already announced that this was his last year as the captain of side, citing workload concerns.
Unfortunately for the cricketer, he failed to power his side to the coveted IPL trophy despite coming so close on numerous occasions. The only thing that the fans could be happy about was the fact that the player has confirmed he will continue to play for RCB till the end of his IPL career. However, former English cricketer Monty Panesar has put that happiness for fans under some dark clouds.
Will Kohli retire from Indian Premier League?
After the match between RCB and KKR on Monday, the 39-year-old was speaking to SportsTiger where he was asked about the possible retentions for Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the mega auctions. While naming Glenn Maxwell as a certain pick, Panesar gave his candid opinion on Virat Kohli which certainly left everyone absolutely stunned.
"I won't be surprised if Virat Kohli says I'm gonna retire from the IPL," said Monty Panesar in DafaNews Presents SportsTiger Mid-Wicket LIVE show on Monday. He added that there is a lot of international cricket and Kohli might want to focus on the 2023 ODI World Cup which will be played in India.
Reflecting on the fact that Kohli's main goal will now be to win the mega event in front of home fans, Panesar opined that the 32-year-old could consider retiring from IPL to lessen the workload.
Kohli is currently the leading run-scorer in IPL
Despite not winning the prestigious trophy, Virat Kohli's legacy in IPL is unmatched. The right-handed batsman is the leading run-scorer in history of tournament with 6283 runs to his name in 207 appearances. He has also had an incredible season where he scored 973 runs (in IPL 2016) and had almost single-handedly guided his side to IPL triumph.
While fans would love to see Kohli win the 2023 World Cup for India at home, they would also be hoping to continue watching him in IPL where he could now play more freely for years to come, without the burden of captaincy.