Baseless: Team Virat Kohli denies he took Rs 5 crore to visit Premanand's ashram

Virat Kohli's spokesperson has rejected claims that the cricketer was paid Rs 5 crore to visit Premanand Maharaj's ashram, calling the allegation false, baseless and factually incorrect.Virat Kohli at Premanand’s ashram (Courtesy: ITG)New Delhi,Oct 7, 2026 12:08 ISTFormer India captain Virat Kohli's spokesperson has denied claims that the cricketer was paid Rs 5 crore to visit spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj's ashram in Vrindavan.The statement comes after an allegation made by Dinesh Sharma, popularly known as Falahari Maharaj, surfaced in reports and social media. Sharma, who is the president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas, had alleged that Rs 5 crore was spent to bring Kohli to Premanand Maharaj's ashram.The allegation has not been independently verified. No publicly available payment record, contract or other evidence has emerged to establish that Kohli received Rs 5 crore for visiting the ashram.Responding to the claim, Kohli's spokesperson said the allegations were "completely false, baseless and factually incorrect." "We would like to categorically state that the claims made by Falahari Maharaj Dinesh Sharma in regards to Mr. Virat Kohli are completely false, baseless and factually incorrect," the spokesperson said.The spokesperson also said Kohli's visits to Premanand Maharaj were motivated by his personal faith and respect for the spiritual leader. "Mr. Virat Kohli visits Premanand Maharaj Ji purely out of his deep faith and reverence for Maharaj Ji," the statement said.Kohli and his wife, actor Anushka Sharma, have visited Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan on several occasions. Their first reported visit to the spiritual leader took place in January 2023, and the couple have subsequently returned to the ashram multiple times.On the cricketing front, Kohli recently returned to ODI action in India's three-match series against the West Indies. He began the series with an unbeaten 139 in Thiruvananthapuram, an innings that took him past 15,000 ODI runs and made him only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the landmark.Kohli followed that with scores of 29 and a duck in the next two ODIs. India won the first two matches but lost the third by five wickets in New Chandigarh, allowing the West Indies to avoid a series whitewash. Across the three games, Kohli scored 168 runs.His next ODI assignment is expected to be India's tour of New Zealand in November. The five-match ODI series is scheduled to begin in Auckland on November 4, with further matches in Wellington, Hamilton and Mount Maunganui. The tour will also include five T20Is and two Tests. Kohli, who has retired from T20I and Test cricket, is now focused on the 50-over format and has indicated that the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his final World Cup for India.- Ends