Virat said he would play like a lion, not Impact Player, till he retires: RCB teammate

Picking Virat Kohli's brains is perhaps one of the biggest items on the bucket list of young cricketers across the globe. For 20-year-old Swastik Chikara, that dream became a reality when he had the golden opportunity to share his thoughts on the game with the cricketing great during his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025.

Swastik Chikara, a right-handed batter from Uttar Pradesh, has recently revealed details of his conversation with Virat Kohli about the star batter's future plans in the IPL. Speaking in an interview with RevSportz, the youngster said Kohli made it clear that he intended to prolong his IPL career for as long as he was fit enough to meet the demands of the T20 format, and that he would never play merely as an Impact Player in the latter stages of his career.

"Virat bhaiya said, 'Jab tak cricket khelunga, jab tak main poora fit hoon. Ye Impact Player ki tarah nahi khelunga. Main sher ki tarah khelunga (I will play cricket for as long as I am completely fit. I won't play as an Impact Player. I will play like a lion)," Swastik recalled.

"'I will field for the full 20 overs and then bat. The day I have to play as an Impact Player, I will quit cricket'," he recounted.

Virat Kohli, who will turn 37 during next year's IPL, scored 657 runs in 15 matches in the 2025 season, which finally saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru end their long wait for a title. Kohli gave his all, as ever, for the Bengaluru-based franchise, who defeated Punjab Kings in the final to lift the elusive crown. He top-scored with 43 off 35 balls in the summit clash before leading an emotional celebration of the triumph at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Kohli pledged his continued commitment to RCB after becoming an IPL champion for the first time in his career. The veteran was overcome with emotion on the day of the final, celebrating the trophy alongside former teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.

Kohli has repeatedly insisted that he would never feature solely as an Impact Player, stressing that he wished to contribute to the team in all three departments for as long as his fitness allows. In 2024, he had also spoken out against the Impact Player rule, arguing that it disturbs the balance between bat and ball.

The Impact Player rule, introduced in 2024, permits teams to replace a member of the playing XI at any stage of the match. Unlike traditional substitutes, the replacement can bat, bowl and field, thereby altering the balance of the contest midway through. Several sides have used the rule to swap a star bowler for a batter, or vice versa. Mumbai Indians, for example, deployed Rohit Sharma as an Impact Player, allowing their former captain to bat before replacing him with a bowler for the remainder of the game.

Virat Kohli retired from T20 international cricket following India's World Cup triumph in 2024. Midway through IPL 2025, he announced his retirement from Tests, surprising many.

Kohli is expected to continue playing one-day internationals until the 2027 ODI World Cup, and to feature in the IPL beyond that, provided he remains injury-free.