Know Why Virat Kohli Joins World Bowling League as Strategic Investor?

India’s star batter Virat Kohli has made a bold move outside of the cricket world as he has joined the World Bowling League (WBL) as a Strategic Investor. This major step was announced while his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), qualified for Qualifier 1 in the IPL 2025 season.
Kohli is known for his passion for sports. Now, he wants to help Bowling grow as a sport around the world. He believes Bowling is popular but does not get enough business support.
“I started bowling when I was 11 years old. I was spinning the ball by 12. It is clear how loved the sport is, but it is not seen as a strong business opportunity,” Kohli said.
He announced the news on X (formerly Twitter) on May 28. Kohli posted, “After a great partnership with @adikmishra in E1 Team Blue Rising, excited to team up again in the World Bowling League! With @Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts and others, we’re redefining a sport loved by 100M+ people.”

WBL: A New Age of Bowling

The World Bowling League is a new professional league. It aims to make bowling a top sport again. The league will have mixed-gender teams and events at famous locations around the world.
It brings a fresh format, exciting games, and new fan engagement through advanced technology. WBL wants to make bowling popular again, especially with young fans.
Adi K. Mishra, the founder and CEO of WBL, is excited to have Virat Kohli on board. He said bowling is a “sleeping giant” in the sports world.
“Elite bowling is full of complex things. From unique lane shapes to 3D-printed oil patterns, it’s very technical. When I found out Virat used to bowl too, I knew we could align on this vision,” said Mishra.
He added that Kohli’s passion and fresh ideas will help take the sport to new levels. Mishra believes this partnership can help awaken bowling’s global potential.

Virat Kohli’s Success in IPL 2025

Virat Kohli has continued to shine in cricket. On May 27, he scored a fiery knock of 54 runs against Lucknow Super Giants, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru win by six wickets.
With that, Kohli became the first player to score 9000 runs for a single T20 team, RCB.
Here’s a quick look at the most runs for a team in Men’s T20 cricket:
• 9004 - Virat Kohli (RCB)
• 6060 - Rohit Sharma (MI)
• 5934 - James Vince (Hampshire)
• 5528 - Suresh Raina (CSK)
• 5314 - MS Dhoni (CSK)
Virat set another record in the iconic game by becoming the only player to score 600+ runs the most times in the history of IPL. Kohli has scored 600+ runs five times in IPL in 2013, 2016, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Notably, RCB will play Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 on May 29 in Chandigarh. Kohli will look to continue his great form as the teams battle for a place in the IPL 2025 finals.
Off the field, his involvement with the World Bowling League could bring big changes for bowling. With stars like Kohli and Mookie Betts supporting it, WBL could become the next big thing in world sports.