Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson (Agency photo)
Virat Kohli has spoken openly about the increasing presence of cameras around players during the Indian Premier League, admitting that constant surveillance during training sessions has become uncomfortable and intrusive.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru star said players should be allowed to prepare peacefully without their every move being recorded and analyzed on social media. Kohli is one of the most followed cricketers in the world and continues to receive constant attention on and off the field. From training exercises to casual interactions, almost every moment that the former India captain is involved with quickly finds its way online. While acknowledging the importance of fan engagement and digital content in modern cricket, Kohli believes things have now reached a stage where there has to be a balance.
Speaking on RCB Podcast, Kohli explained how difficult it is to freely focus on improving his game when multiple cameras are tracking every activity during training. “You’re walking to training, and six cameras are following you. It’s not a comfortable feeling at all. As an athlete, you need the ability and freedom to work on your game in peace. If all you’re doing is an opportunity to shoot or display or dissect, then you’re not organic,” Kohli said.
The 37-year-old added that players often experiment with techniques or methods during training, but the fear of sharing those moments publicly changes the way they train. “I won’t be able to try to do things in training that I really want to do because I know tomorrow if someone films it and there are discussions about my training sessions. You judge me on my performance during the match, not during the lead-up to the match.
He added: “No one has the right to judge me based on what I do in terms of my preparations and the things I try in the net.” Kohli also said that while social media has become a major part of the IPL ecosystem and team branding, there should be clearer boundaries in terms of player approval and access behind the scenes. “I feel there needs to be more simplification in terms of understanding how much needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and whether the player is ok with being filmed at all times.
These types of things really need to be taken into consideration because it becomes too much. I like the pressure of the game, but honestly I don’t like the pressure of anything else. “Like social media is a big part of any team’s business representation or fan engagement, which is understandable,” Kohli said. The batsman also pointed out that the explosion in official fan pages and social media content around franchises has happened gradually over time, meaning players were never quite prepared for this level of sustained exposure since the inception of the Indian Premier League. “But I really feel there should be more simplification, because if you look at the growth of official fan clubs or official fan pages for teams, it happened after a long period of time when the Indian Super League was already being played. So people were not ready for it from day one,” he added. Kohli also referred to a recent interaction with Kane Williamson during RCB’s IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants, where a private conversation became difficult due to cameras and a roaming Champak bot in the IPL. “I was talking to Ken the other day, and there was this robotic thing waving at me. And I’m saying, ‘Why is that thing waving at me?’ I’m talking to Ken about something very serious. First, I ignored the dog, then I said to the guy controlling it, please take it away. Let me talk in peace. Ken is my friend. I can’t have a conversation with him without it becoming a ‘moment,'” Kohli said. Despite his concerns away from the field, Kohli has enjoyed another impressive IPL campaign with the bat. The RCB talisman recently smashed his ninth IPL century against Kolkata Knight Riders and has so far scored 484 runs in 12 matches this season at an average of 53.78 and a strike rate of 165.75.