While the collective focus of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remains the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, a couple of stakeholders have already shown interest in getting them on board after their retirement from ODI cricket. While there’s no guarantee that Kohli and Rohit won’t continue playing for India after the ICC tournament in South Africa, the fact that they would be 40 and 41, respectively, makes it highly unlikely.
This is where the ETPL steps in. Abhishek Bachchan, co-owner of the European T20 Premier League, an up-and-coming T20 league, has urged Rohit and Kohli to be part of its set-up once they are done playing cricket for India. Speaking to renowned sports journalist Vimal Kumar, Bachchan emphasised the importance of an Indian marquee player, and who better than Kohli or Rohit to fill that void.
“Please tell Virat and Rohit that when they retire, they could come and play in the ETPL before any other league,” Bachchan said.
{{/usCountry}}“Please tell Virat and Rohit that when they retire, they could come and play in the ETPL before any other league,” Bachchan said.
{{/usCountry}}The first edition of the ETPL will be played later this year in August, with three teams from Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast participating, and the official franchise names yet to be finalised.
The rising demand for Ro-Ko
The demand for Kohli and Rohit in overseas T20 leagues isn’t new. The likes of SA20, CPL and the BBL have shown a keen interest in having some Indian star power in their leagues, but as per the BCCI diktat, as long as a player remains an active cricketer and is part of the BCCI Central Contracts league, he/she is not allowed to represent any other league, barring the IPL. Most recently, Ravichandran Ashwin was singled out by the Big Bash League after the spinner announced his retirement from international cricket in December 2024, but an injury prevented his participation.
Meanwhile, the SA20 became the first overseas T20 league to witness Indian participation when they signed Dinesh Karthik to represent the Paarl Royals last season. This year too, they got Sourav Ganguly as the head coach of the Pretoria Capitals. Owners have shown a keen interest in getting MS Dhoni on board, but that appears to be a distant dream as long as MSD continues playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.