‘There's a reason why everyone loves…’: Virat Kohli reveals profound adoration for the IPL

The upcoming India versus England series will come to an end this week in Dharamshala. This marks India's final international match before the T20 World Cup, set to start after the upcoming IPL 2024. Virat Kohli's absence from the IND vs. ENG series due to personal reasons has left fans worried about his return to competitive cricket, irrespective of his participation in RCB, following the recent birth of his second child, 'Akaay'.

Also Read: Why is Rohit Sharma not on the pitch on Day 3 of the IND vs ENG match?

Virat Kohli talks about his love for the IPL

The distinguished player for both Team India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Virat Kohli, has shown his appreciation for the Indian Premier League (IPL), pointing to the league's special capacity to promote player camaraderie. The success of the IPL was highlighted by Kohli, who credited the close relationship between players and spectators.

After choosing to miss the current India-England series in order to attend the birth of his second kid, the 35-year-old will return to action on March 22 in the forthcoming Indian Premier League. At Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, the thrilling match between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will mark the start of the IPL 2024. Speaking to Star Sports, Virat Kohli said:

"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," 
"There's a reason why everyone loves IPL so much, as there's a connect, both for players and fans," 

"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," 

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With an astounding 7,263 runs in 237 games at an average of 37.24 and a strike rate of 130.02, Kohli is the highest run scorer in Indian Premier League history. Not only is he the only batter in the T20 league to score more than 7,000 runs, but he also holds the record for the most centuries in the competition with seven.

Apart from his remarkable statistical accomplishments, Kohli emphasised how unique the IPL is in comparison to other ICC competitions. He highlighted the lack of international engagement that occurs in ICC competitions and contrasted it with the intense camaraderie that occurs in the IPL.

Looking back on his incredible IPL 2023 performance, Kohli demonstrated his batting skills by scoring 639 runs in 14 innings with a strike rate of 139.82 and an amazing average of 53.25. With two century and six half-centuries in his outstanding innings, he cemented his place as the league's dominating player.