Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) talisman Virat Kohli has finally addressed the viral “fifth overseas player” jokes surrounding the franchise, responding in trademark humour during a light-hearted interaction with Danish Sait's popular ‘Mr. Nags' character.
In a video shared by RCB on April 4, Kohli was asked about the growing chatter among fans suggesting the franchise are effectively fielding “five overseas players”, a tongue-in-cheek reference that has gained traction online.
Laughing through the exchange, Kohli deflected the question with a grin: “I don't know why you are asking me? Ask the overseas players. I am not an overseas player. Am I an overseas player?”
The joke stems less from cricketing regulations and more from Kohli's lifestyle choices in recent years.
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Since the birth of their son, Kohli and his Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma have chosen to shift their primary residency base to London, away from the uber-intrusive paparazzi culture of India. The one-franchise man flies back to India shortly before tournaments, fuelling the “fly-in, fly-out” narrative among fans.
Kohli also recently dismissed a rumour suggesting that he had requested chartered flights during the IPL, using laughing emojis when sharing the “news” report on his social media handles.
Despite the off-field chatter, Kohli's on-field output remains unaffected. The one-franchise man began IPL 2026 in commanding fashion, scoring an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls to power a record-breaking chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Chasing 202 in their IPL opener, RCB powered by key contributions from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (61 off 26), sealed a six-wicket win in just 15.4 overs, setting a new record for fastest 200-plus chase
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