Kevin Pietersen Urges Virat Kohli to leave RCB and join another team to win the IPL Trophy

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen advised Virat Kohli to consider leaving Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after their loss in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 Eliminator. Kevin Pietersen highlighted that Virat Kohli would have to depart the Royal Challengers to secure an IPL trophy in the future.

The Faf du Plessis-led team suffered a four-wicket loss to the Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 22. Bengaluru failed to continue their winning momentum. RCB's 17-year-long run without a title continued as they were knocked out of the prestigious tournament.

Virat Kohli finished the season without a title despite leading RCB's batting efforts and emerging as the top run-scorer. He scored 741 runs in 15 matches with an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69. Kohli registered five half-centuries and one century, with his highest score being an unbeaten 113 runs.

Virat Kohli Deserves A Trophy - Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen drew parallels between Virat Kohli's situation and that of football superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane. The former England batter stated that these football superstars sought better opportunities elsewhere for success.

"I have said it before and I will say it again -- the greats of the game in other sports, have left teams to go and seek glory somewhere else. When he has tried and tried so hard -- won the Orange Cap yet again and done so much yet again and the franchise fails again, I understand for the brand of the team and the commercial value he brings to the team... But Virat Kohli deserves a trophy. He deserves to play in a team that could help him to get that trophy," Pietersen told Star Sports.

Virat Kohli Needs To Go - Kevin Pietersen

The 43-year-old stated that if Virat Kohli wants to part ways with RCB, Delhi could be his next destination. Pietersen suggested that Delhi could be an ideal fit for him, given that it is his hometown with family ties and a personal connection.

"I actually think it should be Delhi. Delhi is the place where Virat needs to go. Virat can go away, and stay at home most of the time, I know he has a home in Delhi. He has a young family. He can spend more time there. He is a Delhi boy. Why can't he go back? Delhi are as desperate as Bengaluru," Pietersen further added.

"I think it's about time Virat thought long and hard. Beckham left, Ronaldo left, Messi left, Harry Kane just left Spurs and went to Bayern Munich," he concluded.

The Bengaluru-based team has reached the playoffs four times in the last five seasons of the Indian Premier League. They last reached the final match in the 2016 season, where they suffered a loss to SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Virat Kohli scored a record-breaking 973 runs during the 2016 edition.

Virat Kohli has consistently expressed his desire to conclude his career with the Bengaluru-based franchise. Remarkably, the 35-year-old batter is the sole player to have represented the same team in all 17 IPL seasons.

Also read: "Bengaluru Cant." - Tushar Deshpande mocks RCB after IPL 2024 Eliminator loss; Deletes later