The Royal Challengers Bengaluru batsman stated that while content creation has become a significant aspect of the league’s framework, there needs to be stricter boundaries regarding players’ personal interactions and practice to safeguard privacy and avoid excessive exposure.
“You head to practice, and there are six cameras following you. It’s definitely not comfortable,” Kohli commented on the RCB Podcast. “As an athlete, it’s essential to have the freedom to enhance your skills without distractions. If every action is an opportunity for filming or analysis, you lose your authenticity. I can’t experiment with my practice because I know it might be filmed and analyzed later. Evaluate my performance in the game, not in training. No one should judge me on how I prepare or what I’m trying to do in the nets.”
Kohli also expressed that the notion of “streamlining” should be balanced, ensuring player consent regarding exposure.
“There needs to be more clarity on how often and when filming occurs, as well as whether the player is comfortable being recorded constantly. These considerations are crucial because it can become overwhelming,” Kohli remarked. “I thrive on the pressure of the game, but I don’t enjoy the weight of other expectations. While social media plays a vital role in a team’s commercial presence and fan interaction, there should be more organization. The growth of official fan clubs and pages has taken time, emerging long after the IPL began. It wasn’t something people were prepared for from the outset.”
“I was chatting with Kane the other day, and there’s this robot thing waving at me. I thought, ‘Why is this waving at me?’ I was having a serious discussion with Kane. Initially, I ignored it, but then I asked the operator to take it away so I could converse in peace. Kane’s my friend; I shouldn’t have to turn a serious talk into a ‘moment’,” Kohli added.
