Why Did Kohli Retire From T20I Cricket? RCB Legend Reveals It All

Indian cricket team and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) veteran batter Virat Kohli announced his retirement from international T20I cricket soon after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the United States of America and the West Indies. In a recent video podcast, Kohli revealed the real reason behind his decision.

Kohli, who is currently playing for RCB in IPL 2025, said he took the decision to retire from T20I cricket after a lot of thought and the main reason behind this was that he wanted the young players coming into the side a full chance to come forward.

"I don't think anything has changed for me. I took this decision with the understanding that now a new generation is ready, and they should get two years so that they can develop, withstand pressure, and prove themselves by playing in different conditions,” Kohli said during a conversation on the RCB podcast.

“When the next T20 World Cup comes, they should be fully ready." 

As wished by the veteran batter, India included young guns like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma in the side who have already hit multiple international centuries in the format. 

Meanwhile, even though Kohli has said goodbye to T20Is, his bat is still doing well in the IPL. This season, he has scored 443 runs in 10 matches with an average of 63.28 and a strike rate of around 140.