IPL 2021: "Sport finishes at some stage, but learning never stops" - Virat Kohli speaks ahead of clash against KKR 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli reflected on his years with the franchise where he evolved from a young prospect to the leader of the team. Kohli will relinquish the side's captaincy after the culmination of the second leg of the IPL 2021.

Ahead of the team's contest against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kohli expressed his gratitude for the franchise and noted the importance of constantly improving as the game evolves.

In an interaction with RCB's social media handle, Virat Kohli spoke about the occasion of his 200th game for the franchise, he said:

"You think of these things, you look back at the journey, you feel so grateful to play for one franchise for so long. It's the loyalty, that has been very special to me. It's been a very strong bond, a mutual respect, love, care something that I will always cherish for the rest of my life."

"IPL is only getting better so what drives me is to keep getting better as a cricketer, as a individual, getting the chance to play with so many world class players is a great learning curve for me. Sport finishes at some stage, but learning never stops and I totally look to keep stepping up and improving my game every year because the IPL is only getting better," he added.

Kohli recently stepped down from his role as captain of India's T20 side. His captaincy career in the shortest format of the game will come to an end with this edition of the IPL. He will continue to represent the franchise as a batsman.

You can check out the IPL 2021 purple cap here.

KKR is a very strong side and we need to be at the top of our game: Virat Kohli

Kohli is wary of the threat posed by KKR but hopes to maintain the recent set of positive results against the side. He added:

"Like any other side in the competition, KKR is a very strong side and we need to be at the top of our game. We played very well against them in the last couple of seasons and something we want to continue."

RCB emerged victorious over the two-time IPL winners in Chennai during the first phase of the IPL. The franchise also registered wins in both games against KKR during the last edition of the tournament in the UAE.