India, April 16 -- Virat Kohli's joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2008 quietly reshaped both the franchise and the league. Nearly two decades on, he remains the only player to have represented a single team throughout the tournament's history, standing by RCB through lean patches before finally celebrating a long-awaited title last season. What makes that story more striking is what happened at the start. Fresh from leading India to the U19 World Cup, Kohli entered the uncapped draft, where his domestic home side franchise Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), had the first pick. They opted for left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan instead.

At the time, the call barely raised eyebrows. Kohli was promising, but not yet the force he would ...