Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that although reports are suggesting that Virat Kohli has refused to renew a contract with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it is a commercial one and the reported denial doesn’t suggest that the ace Indian batter is either quitting IPL or leaving for another franchise.
Several reports on Sunday, October 12, cited RevSportz journalist Rohit Juglan, who claimed that Kohli hasn’t renewed his commercial contract with Bengaluru ahead of IPL 2026.
The news has reignited speculation about Kohli’s future in the Indian Premier League. However, speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra addressed the reports and reassured fans that Kohli has no plans to part ways with RCB.
“He has reportedly refused a commercial
contract, but what does that mean? He will definitely play for RCB. If he is playing, he is definitely going to turn out for the same franchise,” Chopra said.
“He (Kohli) has just won the trophy. Why will he leave the franchise then? He isn’t going anywhere. What contract can be refused is in the realm of speculation. He might have a dual contract,” Chopra said.
“Commercial contract is the side contract apart from the playing contract. He has reportedly refused to sign a commercial contract. There are also reports that RCB is going up for sale,” Chopra added.
After a mega auction, a cricketer’s contract with an IPL team is for one year, but the franchise can retain them for subsequent years through negotiations.
Kohli played a key role in RCB’s historic IPL 2025 win, the team’s maiden title in the T20 league. He piled up 657 runs in 15 games at a brilliant average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71, registering eight fifties with a top score of 73*.
Kohli is the Indian Premier League’s all-time leading run-scorer. Across 267 games, all for RCB, he has scored 8,661 runs at an average of 39.54 and a strike rate of 132.85, including eight hundreds and 63 fifties.
