Virat Kohli Hints At Playing New Competition Before 2027 World Cup

Virat Kohli to return to domestic cricket [Source: AFP]RCB recently released an explosive podcast featuring star cricketer Virat Kohli. During the chat, the 37-year-old hinted at playing a new competition to prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup for India.Kohli has been in sublime touch this IPL 2026 season, scoring 484 runs in 12 games, including a century against KKR. However, Virat’s ultimate goal is to play the upcoming World Cup for India.Virat Kohli opens up on the experience of playing Vijay HazareAfter the BCCI mandated contracted players to play domestic cricket, Virat Kohli turned up to the Vijay Hazare 2025-26 season for Delhi. He featured in just two games, scoring 131 and 77, thus making a statement.Meanwhile, during the podcast with RCB, Kohli revealed that he enjoyed playing in the Vijay Hazare. He initially wondered whether domestic cricket would still motivate him after such a long international career. "That's how I played Vijay Hazare as well. It was amazing. There was not a person in the COE (Centre of Excellence). First, I thought, 'I've played for so long and will it be motivating enough?,” Kohli said.However, once he focused purely on the joy of playing and batting, everything changed again. His words clearly hint that Virat Kohli will continue playing Vijay Hazare as the 2027 ODI World Cup remains his end goal.“But the moment my intention switched to 'I want to play because I love playing. I just love batting. And I just want to focus on that'. And I could not care. It's not like I didn't field. I fielded the whole game, and I was diving around, and I felt like a child again,” he added.Also Read - Virat Kohli Finally Reveals Why He Retired Prematurely From Test Cricket, Pins BlameKohli made his intentions of playing the World Cup clearMeanwhile, in the RCB podcast, Virat Kohli came clean on his stance of playing the 2027 ODI World Cup for India. Earlier, chief selector Ajit Agarkar claimed that Kohli and Rohit Sharma are non-committal about the upcoming ICC event.However, the RCB opener bluntly said that he is putting in the effort to play and train hard every day for a reason. Kohli almost sounded surprised that people keep asking whether he wants to continue that long. “I mean, this 27 (2027 World Cup) chat and all that, honestly, for me, it's like we're at like mid-2026. But I've been asked so many times, do you want to play 2027,” Virat Kohli further added. His response suggests he still sees himself as an active cricketer with unfinished ambitions rather than someone nearing retirement, thus contradicting Agarkar’s claim.“Like, why would I leave my home, get my stuff over and be like, 'I don't know what I want'. Of course, if I'm playing, I want to play cricket. I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing. But as I said, the value has to be two-sided.”Virat Kohli’s RCB favourites to win IPL 2026Meanwhile, in the ongoing IPL 2026 season, defending champions RCB are seated at the top of the points table with 16 points in 12 games. They beat KKR in their last fixture, where Virat Kohli scored a sublime century (105) to accomplish a 193-run chase.RCB still has 2 more games to go against the Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. If they win at least one out of the two games, their playoff spot will be guaranteed. That being said, for PBKS, winning against RCB is non-negotiable to keep their playoff hopes alive, as they have lost five games in a row.Also Read - Has PSL Become A Better Poaching Ground For IPL Teams?