Is Virat Kohli retiring from IPL? Ex-India cricketer explains why star batter has not signed a commercial deal with RCB

Mohammed Kaif explains Virat Kohli's IPL situation. (AP Image)

If reports are to be believed, Virat Kohli, the star for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has not yet signed a commercial contract with the team. Kohli, who has spent his whole career with RCB, is one of the most potent commercial commodities.

Since Kohli hasn't signed a new contract before the IPL mini-auction, there is a lot of conjecture that the former captain may be leaving the team or, worse, retiring from the league. But former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif dispelled the rumors, saying that the fact that Kohli chose not to sign a commercial contract with the team might be a clue that the ownership of the organization is about to change.

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Kohli is a man of his word and will never change teams in the Indian Premier League, according to Kaif, who made this statement on his YouTube channel. Kaif went on to say that after taking home the IPL trophy for the first time, Kohli was most certainly not going to retire from the competition.

“Is Virat Kohli retiring from the IPL? No, guys. Virat Kohli had promised that he will play his first and last match for Bengaluru only. He has promised this, and since he has done it, he will not back out. But people are saying he hasn’t signed a commercial deal. There are two deals — players’ contract and commercial contract," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

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“The reason he has not signed a commercial contract is because a new owner might come for RCB and they will control the franchise. That’s why he is waiting. If there’s a change, then there will be negotiation and all. These are all behind-the-scenes stuff and we don’t have a lot of information about these things. He is waiting for all that," he added.

Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the Indian Premier League, had previously implied that the owners of the RCB would probably sell the team immediately after winning the IPL, when their business value was at its peak.

There have been a lot of rumour about the sale of an @IPL franchise specifically @RCBTweets - well in the past they have been denied. But it seems the owners have finally decided to take it off their balance sheet and sell it. I am sure having won the IPL last season and also… pic.twitter.com/ecXfU5n5v5

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— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) September 29, 2025

"There have been a lot of rumours about the sale of an @iplt20 franchise, specifically @royalchallengers.bengaluru. In the past, offers were denied, but it seems the owners have finally decided to take it off their balance sheet and sell it," Lalit Modi had posted in September.

A report in June said that Diageo Plc, the company that owns RCB through United Spirits Ltd., has started first discussions with advisors to consider a number of exit strategies, including a complete sale.

Talking to former Australia captain Michael Clarke last month, Lalit Modi stated that it would be foolish for RCB to sell for less than USD 2 billion. He predicted that the valuation may hit USD 2.5 billion if the sale takes place next year.