Virat Kohli credits IPL's success to player-fan connect

India star Virat Kohli has shared his deep affection for the Indian Premier League, attributing the T20 league's success to the beautiful bond between players and fans. Kohli opted out of the ongoing five-Test series against England due to personal reasons, but the RCB star is expected to be back for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL opener against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium 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," the former RCB skipper told Star Sports.

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

Kohli emphasized the minimal interaction between players from different teams in various cricket tournaments, including those organized by the ICC global events.

"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," he continued.

"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," he added.

The former RCB captain had a remarkable season in 2023, amassing 639 runs in 14 IPL innings, including two centuries. Kohli tops the tournament's all-time scoring chart with 7263 runs and holds the record for the most centuries, with seven to his name. Kohli averages 43.51 and has a strike rate of 135.45, having scored 3611 runs in 98 matches as opener in IPL. His numbers at No. 3 aren't bad either. The all-time run-getter in the IPL has scored 2815 runs at an average of 35.19 and a strike rate of 123.79 as No. 3 in the tournament history.