Kohli Makes 1st Appearance Since Son Akaay's Birth, Gears Up For IPL 2024

Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli, who took a long break from the game during the national team's 5-match Test series against England, is back to cricketing duties. Kohli remained away from cricketing duties to be with his wife Anushka Sharma during the final stages of her pregnancy, announced that the couple has been blessed with a baby boy Akaay. Following Akaay's birth, Kohli continued to give his cricketing responsibilities a miss but is now back ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.

Virat was spotted at the airport as he returned to India to join his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was earlier reported that the top-order batter is likely to join his teammates in Bengaluru ahead of the RCB 'Unbox' event. The event is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on March 19.

Screen presence @imVkohli

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— Virat Kohli Trends™ (@TrendVirat) March 17, 2024

Royal Challengers Bangalore began their pre-tournament camp without their numero uno Virat Kohli, who might take a few more days to join before the team starts its IPL campaign against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings on March 22. 

Most of the domestic players joined the camp under the guidance of new head coach Andy Flower and Director of Cricket Mo Bobat and they went through the paces on the opening day of the camp on Wednesday. While skipper Faf du Plessis was in attendance along with West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, Kohli, easily the biggest 'Box Office' in Indian cricket, is yet to hit the straps after a paternity break that ruled him out of the marquee five-Test series against England.

"Kohli is expected to join in the next few days," a BCCI source, who is tracking developments within IPL teams, had told PTI.

Kohli might make his first appearance for the franchise during 'RCB Unbox', a high-profile annual event held at the Garden City in which fans get a glimpse of their favourite stars.

With PTI inputs