Cricket fans lost their minds early Tuesday when the Sydney Sixers, a top team in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), posted that India’s superstar Virat Kohli was joining them for two seasons. The news blew up online, with people picturing “King Kohli” swapping his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gear for the Sixers’ bright pink kit. But hold up—it was just a sneaky April Fools’ joke, and the team admitted it soon after.
The post that got everyone going said, “King Kohli, Virat Kohli is officially a Sixer for the next TWO seasons.” Fans went nuts, dreaming of the Indian legend smashing boundaries Down Under alongside past BBL stars like Dwayne Bravo and Johan Botha. Then the Sixers spilled the beans: it was all fake, a playful prank to kick off April 1st. Cue the laughs and sighs of relief.
Here’s the thing—India’s cricket bosses, the BCCI, don’t let their male players join foreign leagues like the BBL. They want to keep the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the big deal, make sure players stay fit, and keep home cricket strong. That’s why Kohli crossing over was never going to happen, no matter how cool it sounded. Women cricketers in India get a pass though, since their game doesn’t have a huge league like the IPL yet. With the Women’s Premier League picking up steam, who knows if that’ll change?
For now, Kohli’s sticking with RCB, where he’s already lighting up the IPL. He’s got a game coming up Wednesday against the Gujarat Titans at home—plenty of action to keep fans happy. Over in Australia, the Sixers, who’ve won the BBL three times (last in 2021), keep doing their thing, even if snagging Kohli stays a fun “what if” idea.
This whole stunt was a clever way to mess with fans, and boy, did it work. For a hot minute, the cricket world bought it hook, line, and sinker. Now we’re all just giggling about it, waiting to see what Kohli does next—probably something awesome with a bat, not a plane ticket.
