The last time Virat Kohli walked onto the Eden Gardens turf, frustration got the better of him. A high full toss, a controversial dismissal, a heated argument with the umpires, and a one-run heartbreak for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. That night summed up RCB’s struggles in IPL 2024, a season that seemed over before it truly began.
Fast forward a year later, and two days before IPL 2025 begins, Kohli was back at Eden. But this time, the mood was different. No fireworks, no spotlight—just a man and his bat, sitting cross-legged, carefully choosing his weapon for another season of battle.
A Ritual of Preparation
Rather than sweating it out in the nets, Kohli spent time inspecting two unsponsored bats, running his fingers over them, feeling their balance. He picked one, placed a fresh MRF sticker, taped the toe, and tested it with gentle knocks. The small crowd in the stands noticed—the higher the ball bounced, the louder the cheers.
When he finally walked into the nets, something felt off. Not with his bat, but underfoot. He switched ends, now facing a group of kids cheering for him, indulging them with effortless straight hits—the kind that would clear mid-off in a real match. It felt like a match night at Eden, even before the real action began.
IPL Meeting: Captains No Longer Face Match Bans for Slow Over-Rates
Kohli vs KKR’s Spin Web
RCB’s season opener is against Kolkata Knight Riders, the team that relies on spin more than any other in IPL (47.1% of overs bowled by spinners in the last three years). The Eden surface may have changed, but Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy remain a force.
- Chakaravarthy, IPL’s highest wicket-taker since 2023, has refined his craft, adding more over-spin to his already deceptive deliveries.
- Narine, no longer the mystery spinner he once was, still finds a way to make an impact, despite a shift in his role.
For Kohli, this is an early examination of the tweaks he made last season—his improved strike-rate against spin, the introduction of the slog sweep, and a refined approach that saw him claim the Orange Cap in 2024.
Still Central to RCB’s Season
At 36, Kohli’s presence in the IPL isn’t about reinvention or redemption—it’s about consistency. He doesn’t captain RCB anymore, yet he remains the heartbeat of the franchise, standing close to Faf du Plessis, likely guiding the new vice-captain Rajat Patidar in his own way.
The IPL has evolved—new teams, younger players, fresh rules—but Kohli remains. Familiar, focused, folding himself into another season, bound not by the past but by a quiet love for the game.
At Eden, he looked ready. Not to explode, but simply to begin again.
