Virat Kohli: The Legacy Season and the Pressure of Expectations

There are few careers in world cricket that have carried the kind of gravitational weight Virat Kohli’s has. Every innings, every expression, every celebration is amplified—because it’s not just a knock, it’s a chapter in the legacy. And now, in IPL 2025, the narrative feels different. Not because the runs have stopped, but because of how they’re being judged.

This season is not about silencing critics or making a comeback—Kohli has done all that before. This is about consolidation. About legacy. About proving that at 36, with over a decade of IPL behind him, he’s not just relevant—he’s still central to the league’s fabric.

But that centrality comes with pressure. Every dot ball invites criticism. Every 40-ball fifty is compared to a 20-ball blitz. The demands on Kohli are not just technical—they’re emotional, symbolic. Because he doesn’t just play for RCB. He plays for the idea of permanence in a league built on rapid change.

1. A Season of Milestones—and Microanalysis

As of May 2025, Kohli has once again found himself among the IPL’s top scorers. Over 500 runs. Multiple fifties. A century against Punjab Kings that made headlines not just for the score, but for the way he constructed it: slow start, smart rotation, brutal finish. Vintage Kohli.

Yet the reaction wasn’t uniformly celebratory. Critics highlighted his Powerplay strike rate. Some called the innings “self-preserving.” Others questioned whether he was batting for the team or the milestone.

This is the paradox of Kohli’s legacy season: every success is scrutinised through the lens of greatness. A 65-run innings is good—but for Kohli, if it’s not match-winning, it’s framed as insufficient. He’s not compared to others—he’s compared to himself, circa 2016.

The numbers show consistency. Averages over 50, strike rates in the 140s, shot selection that adapts to match context. But in the era of Phil Salt ramp shots and Abhishek Sharma sledgehammer Powerplays, Kohli’s orthodoxy is read as caution—even when it wins games.

And perhaps that’s the clearest sign of how enormous his legacy has become: that even excellence must justify itself.

2. RCB’s Structure and the Kohli Conundrum

For most of his IPL career, Kohli has been the constant in a franchise that has cycled through coaches, captains, and playing philosophies. In 2025, he’s no longer RCB captain, but make no mistake—this is still Kohli’s team. The batting template, the dressing room tempo, and even the crowd response are shaped around him.

Strategically, he continues to open the innings. And while his partner—be it Faf du Plessis or a younger dasher like Suyash Prabhudessai—may take early risks, Kohli often opts for control over combustion. That’s a tactical choice rooted in belief: hold one end, pace the innings, build a foundation. But in games where RCB lose momentum early, the focus sharpens on his strike rate again.

This has created a paradox. When RCB win and Kohli scores big, it’s framed as classic leadership from the front—even without the armband. But in tight losses, his knock becomes a focal point for criticism, especially when the innings lacks an explosive acceleration.

The truth is more complex. Kohli’s presence provides batting stability in a lineup that is otherwise risk-heavy. But as T20 continues to shift toward power-dominant scoring, RCB must consistently balance that stability with hitters like Maxwell, Green, and Karthik to maintain tempo.

In short: Kohli’s batting blueprint still works—but only when others around him are given full license to go hard.

3. The Weight of Symbolism: Kohli Beyond the Scorecard

Few cricketers carry symbolic weight the way Virat Kohli does. For younger Indian players, he’s an institution. For RCB fans, he’s devotion personified. And for neutral watchers, he’s a case study in what it means to play under unrelenting scrutiny.

The pressure on Kohli in 2025 isn’t just about runs. It’s about symbolism. It’s about leading without leading. Every time RCB stumble, social media pulses with

“bring back Kohli as captain.”

 Every time they win without him contributing, the silence is just as loud. He’s become a barometer of mood, not just form.

In press conferences, he chooses his words more carefully. In celebrations, there’s still fire, but less flamboyance. This is a player deep into the second act of his career—one where performance is inseparable from legacy management.

And yet, despite all this, he continues to deliver.

Not in every match. Not always with fireworks. But consistently, resiliently, with an understanding that his greatest contribution to the IPL might now be as much emotional as statistical.

Kohli doesn’t just chase targets. In 2025, he chases meaning. And that chase might be the most difficult—and admirable—one of all.

4. A Franchise Icon in a Franchise League

In a tournament known for churn—players switching shirts, captains rotating out, teams being restructured—Virat Kohli has remained RCB’s lone immovable object. He’s the only player to have stayed with a single franchise for every IPL season since its inception. And that longevity means more than just a contract; it defines an identity.

Other franchises have had success, but few have had a player who personifies their brand like Kohli does for RCB. His intensity, his loyalty, his outbursts, and his flair—it all aligns with the emotional volatility that RCB fans live through every season. In many ways, Kohli hasn’t just played for RCB; he is RCB.

That kind of symbolic weight is rare in franchise cricket. And in 2025, it’s more visible than ever. With younger stars like Rajat Patidar or Mahipal Lomror emerging, Kohli remains the mentor and magnet—the player fans still pay to watch, even when he’s not at his explosive best.

But the very strength of this identity can also be its burden. RCB’s title drought continues, and with every passing season, Kohli’s legacy is increasingly tied to whether he can deliver that elusive trophy. He’s done everything else—run tallies, captaincy records, awards. The one missing piece is collective glory.

And yet, unlike other greats who chase success by switching sides, Kohli has stayed loyal. For better or worse, he’s tied his personal legacy to RCB’s fortunes—a gamble that speaks volumes about what matters to him: loyalty over convenience, meaning over optics.

5. The Last Arc? Or Just the Next Chapter?

There’s a quiet question that hovers around every Kohli innings now: Is this the final version?

At 36, with over 7,500 IPL runs, and with a new crop of Indian batters redefining aggression, there’s no shame in considering that this may be his final few IPL seasons. But the signs don’t suggest a player winding down. In fact, Kohli’s fitness, batting rhythm, and even desire seem sharper than in his mid-30s slump.

If anything, this feels like the beginning of a new phase. A legacy phase. One where the weight of expectation is no longer avoided—but owned. Where the criticism is acknowledged, but not feared. And where every match isn’t about proving anything—but about adding to something already monumental.

In a season filled with big hitting and new stars, Kohli remains the emotional pulse of the IPL. Not because he dominates every match, but because he brings stakes to every moment. His cover drive still draws roars. His failures still spark debates. His presence still means something.

And that may be the true mark of greatness in franchise sport—not the stats, not the sixes, but the ability to make every moment matter.

6. The Elusive Title Finally Arrives: Kohli and RCB’s First IPL Triumph

For over a decade, the IPL was a stage on which Virat Kohli delivered personal brilliance but endured collective heartbreak. But in 2025, that changed. After 17 seasons, countless rebuilds, and near-misses, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their first IPL trophy—and with it, Kohli’s name was etched into the franchise’s history in bold, capital letters.

This was not a fluke, nor a nostalgic send-off. Kohli was central to the campaign. He finished the season as one of the top five run-scorers, often setting the tone in the powerplay and anchoring innings with surgical precision. In the final, a composed 68 from 44 balls laid the foundation for RCB’s chase—a performance that was neither flashy nor flamboyant, but emblematic of his evolved, calculated approach in this legacy-defining season.

What made the title win poetic wasn’t just the result, but the journey. Kohli had stayed with RCB through every failure, resisted the temptation to join title-winning squads, and shouldered the weight of expectation year after year. In a league where loyalty often takes a backseat to opportunity, Kohli’s commitment was rewarded at last.

The victory also recontextualises his IPL narrative. No longer is he the ‘greatest without a title’. Now, he is the face of a franchise that finally found its finishing line—not just because of him, but undeniably through him.

The image of Kohli, arms outstretched, roaring toward the stands at Chepauk after the winning run—that will remain one of the defining visuals of IPL 2025. Not just for what it symbolised, but for the journey it crowned.

Conclusion: Virat Kohli, the Legacy Season, and the Pressure of Expectations

For over a decade, Virat Kohli has been more than just a batter in the IPL—he’s been a story arc, a lightning rod, and a symbol of excellence under pressure. But in 2025, something deeper is unfolding. This season doesn’t feel like a statement—it feels like a summary.

The numbers still shine. Over 500 runs. Averages and strike rates that would be career-defining for most players. But with Kohli, it’s not about the numbers. It’s about what they mean. In a tournament where the spotlight constantly shifts, he remains its most persistent beam—scrutinised, celebrated, and singular.

And that brings pressure. Not just the pressure to perform, but the pressure to evolve, to inspire, to carry a franchise that still dreams of its first title. The pressure to age in public. To be judged not just by what you do, but by what you’ve already done.

This is the paradox of the legacy season. Kohli is still producing, still pulling off match-winning knocks, still chasing down totals with that familiar glare in his eyes. But every performance is now seen through a wider lens—what does this mean for his legacy? For RCB’s chances? For his place in the IPL’s mythology?

If 2016 was Kohli at his most dominant, 2025 may be him at his most human. Vulnerable. Mature. Calculated. Still defiant, but now thoughtful too. And that evolution might be more powerful than any 973-run season ever was.

In the end, the pressure of expectations isn’t weighing him down. It’s what’s keeping him sharp. Because Virat Kohli was never just a product of form—he’s a product of fight. And in a league that constantly reinvents itself, he remains its one enduring narrative thread.

Legacy, after all, isn’t just built on peaks—it’s built on how long you stay essential. And in 2025, Virat Kohli is still undeniably essential.