On March 19, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), now rebranded as Royal Challengers Bengaluru, commenced a new phase with an Unbox event held at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The franchise unveiled a fresh logo and a new jersey in preparation for IPL 2024. Towards the conclusion of the Unbox event, Virat Kohli addressed the audience with a request to his fans.
Fans had to exercise patience before hearing from "King" Kohli. Initially, it was the RCB women's moment to be celebrated for their triumph. Under the leadership of Smriti Mandhana, the RCB women's team clinched victory in the WPL 2024, marking the franchise's inaugural win in a T20 tournament. Meanwhile, the men's team has been unable to secure the trophy in the last 16 editions.
When Virat took the stage to speak, host Danish Sait queried, "How does the King feel?" Virat responded, "It's wonderful to be back once more." This statement prompted an enthusiastic response from the fans. Nevertheless, their beloved idol had a few messages to convey to them.
"Firstly, please refrain from using that word [King] to address me. I was explaining to Faf that it's quite embarrassing for me when you use that term every year; just call me Virat," he remarked.
Now, will the fans adhere to his request and cease calling him King Kohli? Similar to how Sachin Tendulkar's fans persisted in calling him the "God of Cricket" despite his requests otherwise, these monikers often originate from the media and are adopted by commentators, as seen with Geoffrey Boycott dubbing Sourav Ganguly the "Prince of Calcutta." However, in Virat's case, it might have originated from a fan.
In conclusion, Virat Kohli has made a humble request to his fans to stop referring to him as "King" and instead simply call him Virat. Whether or not fans will heed this request remains to be seen, as similar situations with other cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar suggest that such nicknames can persist despite the players' wishes. Ultimately, the origins of these monikers often trace back to the media or fans themselves, highlighting the enduring influence of cricketing culture on player identities.
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