Virat Kohli's spokesperson denies Rs 5 crore payment claim over Premanand Maharaj visit

Virat Kohli's spokesperson issued a firm denial on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, rejecting an allegation that the Indian cricketer was paid Rs 5 crore to visit Premanand Maharaj's ashram in Vrindavan.

The denial came in direct response to a claim made by Dinesh Sharma, widely known as Falahari Maharaj, who serves as president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas. Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma have made multiple trips to meet Premanand Maharaj at the Vrindavan ashram, with January 2023 being the first occasion on record.

"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. Mr. Virat Kohli visits Premanand Maharaj Ji purely out of his deep faith and reverence for Maharaj Ji," the statement said as quoted by India Today.

What was the allegation and who made it?

Falahari Maharaj Dinesh Sharma, president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas, reportedly wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on October 4, 2026, setting out the Rs 5 crore allegation. According to the letter, a Rajasthan-based private company alongside a property-builder lobby arranged the funds to facilitate Kohli's ashram visit, with the claim centred specifically on the January 2023 trip.

Kohli's team rejected every element of the allegation. Whether the letter to the Chief Minister included any supporting documentation or evidence for the Rs 5 crore figure remains unresolved, and no corroborating material has entered the public domain.

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What is Kohli's current cricket focus?

Away from the controversy, Kohli has been concentrating on the 50-over format after stepping away from T20I and Test cricket. He featured in India's three-match ODI series against the West Indies, contributing 139 not out in Thiruvananthapuram, 29 in the second match and a duck in the third, finishing with 168 runs across the series.

That unbeaten century in Thiruvananthapuram carried him beyond 15,000 ODI runs, a landmark previously reached only by Sachin Tendulkar among all batters. India claimed the first two matches of the series before West Indies won the decider by five wickets at New Chandigarh.

Kohli's next assignment in the format is India's five-match ODI tour of New Zealand, with the opening game set for Auckland on November 4. He is expected to remain central to India's plans as the side builds its squad ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is widely anticipated to be his final appearance at the tournament.