No London Trips on Demand: Virat Kohli Laughs Off Chartered Flight Rumours

Indian and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting icon Virat Kohli has rubbished reports claiming he requested the RCB management for access to chartered flights between India and London during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

The reports had suggested that if there was a gap of three days between matches, Virat would travel to London and return just one day before the next match.

Virat addressed the rumours with a humorous response, posting a picture of the claim on his Instagram story along with two laughing emojis.

The upcoming season will begin with defending champions RCB facing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Bengaluru on March 28.

Last year, the man in number 18 secured his first IPL title during his 18th season as a loyal RCBian. He will be looking to continue his fiery form with the bat that entertains crowds and keeps statisticians busy.

How Close Is Virat Kohli to Reaching 9,000 IPL Runs?

Currently, Virat has amassed 8,661 runs in 267 IPL matches, including eight centuries and 63 fifties.

He will be aiming to become the first player to reach the 9,000-run mark in IPL history.

Across IPL and the now-defunct Champions League T20, he has scored 9,085 runs in 282 matches for RCB, leaving him one extraordinary season away from becoming the first-ever player to score 10,000 runs for a single IPL team in all of T20 cricket.

In his T20 career, Virat has scored 13,543 runs in 414 matches, including nine centuries and 105 fifties.

He will also be eyeing a place among the elite 14,000-run club in T20 cricket alongside West Indies stars Chris Gayle (14,562 runs), Kieron Pollard (14,482 runs), England’s Alex Hales (14,449 runs), and Australian legend David Warner (14,028 runs).

Last season, Virat scored 657 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71, registering eight fifties. He finished as RCB’s leading run-getter and the third-highest run-scorer overall.

(With inputs from ANI)