The star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli shared his love for the Indian Premier League ahead of the upcoming 17th edition of the coveted tournament on Friday, March 8.
Kohli highlighted the connection between fans and the players, which reflects in everyone's reason to follow one of the most popular leagues in the world. The Indian stalwart is currently on a break from cricket and is not part of India's ongoing Test series against England at home.
However, the 35-year-old batter is expected to return to the pitch when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in the opening game of the IPL 2024 on March 22.
"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," Virat Kohli told Star Sports. "There’s a reason why everyone loves IPL so much, as there’s a connect, both for players and fans.
Kohli also shared his thoughts on what makes IPL different from ICC tournaments. The former RCB captain added that interacting with opponent players after every game makes IPL different from ICC tournaments.
"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. 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," Virat added further.
RCB stalwart enjoyed a sensational season in 2023 where he recorded 639 runs in 14 IPL innings with the help of two centuries. Kohli leads the scoring chart in tournament history with 7263 runs and also boasts record 7 centuries to his name.
