IPL: Virat Kohli contract issue clearly a result of RCB ownership uncertainty

Virat Kohli contract issue clearly a result of RCB ownership uncertainty (BCCI Photo)

With social media abuzz with rumours about whether Virat Kohli will end his 18-season association with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the months ahead promise to be full of speculation and intrigue. To begin with, the contract that Kohli has allegedly refused to sign is commercial in nature, unrelated to his main one. Also, it’s no secret that the franchise ownership may change hands before the next IPL season.

Aakash Chopra, Kohli’s Delhi teammate when he was first making his way in the game, had this to say on his YouTube channel. “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.”

From the playing perspective, it’s hard to argue with that. Having been so loyal for so long, and turned down multiple overtures from other teams, why would Kohli choose to exit now? “He (Kohli) has just won the trophy,” said Chopra. “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.

“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.”

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Commercial contracts, relating to matters like image rights and personal appearances, are a big deal in modern sport. The top sportsperson – Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Lebron James, to name just three – rake in as much or more from such deals than they do from their playing contracts and on-field/court bonuses.

Kohli will obviously know more than Joe Public about the prospects of a likely franchise sale, and no manager or agent is going to advise signing a contract when such things are up in the air. Once the ownership changes hands or the present owners announce their plans to carry on, it’s most likely that Kohli will put pen to paper.

He scored 657 runs at a strike-rate of 144.71 in the last, title-winning season. Overall, he is by far the highest run-scorer in IPL history, with 8,661 runs all for the same franchise. There’s more chance of him taking aim at 10,000 than there is of him walking away right now.