Former captain Virat Kohli on Sunday used social media to dispel rumours that he had requested charter aircraft between Bengaluru and London during the IPL 2026 season. On his Instagram story, Kohli used two emojis to dispel the rumors.
The fact that Kohli decided to address the rumors implies that he was not impressed by how speculative and unfounded they were. According to one such post, if there were more than three days between two IPL matches, the star cricketer had requested chartered flights from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team so he could go to London and back to India.
Before the IPL 2026 opening match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli recently returned to India from London and joined the RCB training camp in Bengaluru. On March 28, RCB, the reigning champions, will play SunRisers Hyderabad in the first match of the season.
There have long been rumors about Kohli’s visits to London. His choice to live mostly in London during the off-season has spurred discussion about the limits of a celebrity’s personal and public responsibilities.
After the recent birth of his second child, Kohli has become more and more drawn to the anonymity of the UK city, where he is frequently spotted doing everyday tasks like going grocery shopping or taking walks in public parks without the intense fan attention he receives in India. According to reports, the former captain made the decision on purpose to give his kids a “normal” upbringing away from the constant attention at home.
However, some members of the cricket community are not happy about the change. Social media critics and a number of former players have questioned the morality of a national hero spending so much time overseas. The story of dedication has taken center stage, with critics arguing that his extended travels abroad could cause a rift between the domestic circuit and the supporters who drove his ascent.
