Virat Kohli could yet be seen playing red-ball cricket in England once more as Middlesex is keen to sign former India captain for the English County Championship (first-class) and their List A competition – Metro Bank Cup – for the upcoming season.
The 36-year-old Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this week. The decision ruled Virat out of the five-Test series in England that begins at Headingley next month.
The star Indian batter released a statement on social media about his Test retirement. However, Kohli’s statement said nothing about his future in first-class cricket.
Notably, English County club Middlesex is based out of the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. They have a history of roping in star overseas talent, having signed South Africa’s AB de Villiers for the T20 Blast in 2019 and picked New Zealand’s Kane Williamson over for the second half of this season. Both deals came about in collaboration with MCC.
As per a report in The Guardian, Williamson will also play for London Spirit and officials there have indicated they would be happy to similarly split the cost of any deal for Kohli.
The report further mentioned that there is a belief that Kohli is keen to play at the Home of Cricket again.
“Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation,” Alan Coleman, director of cricket at Middlesex, told the Guardian,
As a contracted player with the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), Kohli is not allowed to play in domestic T20 cricket overseas – either T20 Blast or the Hundred, a part of ECB’s domestic competition. But, as with other Indian players, he could play in the County Championship or the Metro Bank Cup.
Interestingly, Kohli has a home in London and he has also shown his interest in playing in the County Championship in the past. He signed for Surrey before India’s tour of England in 2018 but a neck injury saw the deal fall through back then.
Virat is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025. He has scored 505 runs in 11 matches of the IPL 2025 season so far.
