India, March 21 -- A social media post from London first, of his flowing drives and rasping cuts, followed by practice clips of the man immersed in work at his adopted home - the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Virat Kohli's batting videos in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) red have got fans drooling for more. Now that he is back, IPL can't be far away. RCB will be out to defend their crown.

The champions will be led by Rajat Patidar, but as always the marketing blitz will be led by Kohli. In an inhouse podcast, RCB's director of cricket Mo Bobat called Kohli the team's "cultural architect and icon".

It's difficult to apportion Kohli's share in RCB's brand value. But it would be safe to presume that his popularity would be a huge factor. That ...