IPL 2023: Former England captain suggests Virat Kohli to join DC after RCB’s exit

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has suggested Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman Virat Kohli to join Delhi Capitals (DC) after the franchise was knocked out of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 following a six-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

“Time for VIRAT to make the move to the capital city...! #IPL,” wrote Pietersen on his Twitter account after Kohli’s quest to win an IPL trophy ended despite his second consecutive ton in IPL 2023. 

Kohli, who entered the Indian team after playing for Delhi in domestic cricket, has been a part of the RCB franchise since the inception of IPL in 2008. Interestingly, Delhi had picked left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan over Kohli during the first-ever IPL player auction, held shortly after the right-handed batter had led India to U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy in Malaysia.

“There was one conversation where I heard from people that the Delhi team was interested to go after me but the dynamics of their team turned out to be such that they went for Pradeep Sangwan, who was a left-arm seamer, amazing bowler, at that time he was our best bowler in U-19,” Kohli had said in an episode of the RCB podcast last year.

“So Delhi decided to go for him because they wanted their bowling strengthened and RCB picked me. In hindsight, I feel it was such an important moment in my life. I didn’t realise it then but now when I look back, things could have been very different to what they are now. I would not have it any other way than this,” Kohli added.

As of now, Kohli remains the highest run-scorer in IPL history with 7263 runs in 237 matches, including seven centuries and fifty half-centuries. In IPL 2023, he made 639 runs in 14 matches, including two back-to-back centuries and six fifties.