Watch: Karachi crowd chants ‘Kohli Kohli’, ‘RCB’ outside National Stadium before Champions Trophy 2025

Before the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistani cricket fans were yelling “Kohli! Kohli!” and “RCB! RCB!” outside Karachi’s National Stadium. The viral moment occurred following New Zealand’s victory over Pakistan in the Tri-Nation Series final.

Despite the long-standing animosity between India and Pakistan, star batsman Virat Kohli has a sizable fan base in the bordering nation.

Pakistani supporters of the Indian star were seen in a video yelling chants while sporting Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) shirts.

Another admirer wrote, “Mai Pakistan se hu magar Virat Kohli ko support karta hu,” while another exclaimed, “Mai hu Virat Kohli!”

Watch the video below: 

Fans chant ‘Kohli, Kohli’ and ‘RCB, RCB’ outside Karachi Stadium in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/nTQ7r8bK4A

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 14, 2025

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s top batsman, is being criticised, however, after a lacklustre showing in the most recent ODI tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand. Fans and analysts alike are questioning Babar’s place in the squad ahead of the renowned championship after his series scores of 10, 23, and 29.

The opening match for the Indian team in CT 2025 is against Bangladesh.

To compete in the Champions Trophy, the Indian team has already left for Dubai. On Saturday, the first group of players and support personnel left Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. On February 20, India will play Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to begin their campaign.

The airport was visited by a number of players, including KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Virat Kohli. Before departing, the team also included all-rounder Hardik Pandya and captain Rohit Sharma.

India, meanwhile, just revealed two significant additions to their final roster. Harshit Rana replaced star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was sidelined with a lower back injury, and spinner Varun Chakravarthy took the place of promising opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.