Ivan Lendl never won the Wimbledon. He tried everything he could, but still retired as an eight-time grand slam champion who never mastered the grass courts of Wimbledon despite reaching the final twice and the semi-finals five times.

Virat Kohli has won almost everything cricket has to offer. He has been part of World Cup-winning sides in 2011 (ODI) and 2024 (T20I), and has also won the Champions Trophy twice. He has been the best batter in the world for most of his playing career and has numerous records at his feet that serve as the halo to his greatness. Yet, there’s one peak Kohli is yet to scale and there are no points for guessing which one it is.

For 17 years, he has done all that he could, but that hasn’t been enough for him and his team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), to lift the IPL trophy. Like Lendl at Wimbledon, Kohli too has sniffed IPL glory from close, but despite making the final thrice (2009, 2011 and 2016) and reaching the playoffs stage in nine out of the 17 seasons, the modern-day cricket great could only watch helplessly as someone else wore the crown.

Another IPL season is upon us. It’s the 18th year of the tournament. Before every edition, along with other topics of debate, the one constant talking point has always been about Kohli, RCB and their trophyless luck. It is no different this time. In fact, some people have already established a cosmic connection of sorts between IPL 2025 and Kohli and why this time the 36-year-old may finally hit the jackpot. If you haven’t read it elsewhere, here’s the story — Kohli wears shirt No. 18 and it’s the 18th edition of the IPL, so...

Kohli, one guesses, would be more than happy to accept it if that’s how the script is written. But after sweating it out for so many years on the 22 yards, he probably knows that it’s a sport where even the statistics often deceive you, so betting your money on any other numerical theories is even more risky.

Then what can Kohli do to lift the IPL trophy? It is difficult to get to a straightforward answer. Cricket, unlike tennis, is a team sport and so not everything will be in Kohli’s hands. In other words, he not only has to ensure that he gets bagfuls of runs with the bat, but will also hope that his other RCB teammates play their part well.

But first, RCB must not fall too far behind in the race like they did last year. In IPL 2024, RCB won only one of their first eight matches. They turned it around in the second half, winning six games on the trot to make the playoffs. But the Herculean effort must have taken a toll as they lost to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. Kohli is no longer the captain but can still play the leader in keeping the team focused and motivated in the tricky early stages. The momentum gained from a good beginning often pays off in the long run. And for that, Kohli should be the lighthouse to new captain Rajat Patidar.

On the personal front, one assumes Kohli will carry forward his Champions Trophy form into the IPL, a tournament where he has had an impeccable record with the bat. He is the all-time top-scorer with 8004 runs, more
than 1200 runs ahead of the second-placed batter. Last year too he was the topper with 741 runs. Strike rate? A slick 154.69.

But there’s perhaps one thing Kohli can think of tweaking. His mindset. Last November, after being retained by the RCB for the next three-year cycle, Kohli said: “In the next three years, one of the goals obviously is to win the IPL title at least once.”
But why three years? Why not think like, ‘I have to do it this year... It’s now or never’?

The King needs to be desperate for one last conquest.