There is a certain poignancy to IPL 2025 resuming after a 10-day break at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the home of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but equally importantly, the home for the last 18 seasons of inarguably the greatest Indian batter of his generation. 

Earlier in the week, Virat Kohli called time on his Test career. It’s in the fitness of things that he will be at the forefront when the enforced Phase II of the IPL resumes on Saturday, weather permitting, when his team lock horns with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom each of their two remaining games is a must-win.