For the last few months, the internet has been ablaze with rumours that Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are slowly moving to the United Kingdom. Fuel was added to the fire of these rumours yesterday, when Kohli immediately jetted off to London to reunite with his family after the victory parade in Mumbai.
Since then, several social media users began wondering anew whether Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are planning to move out of India and settle down in the UK after the former’s retirement from cricket.
Here are 4 reasons why the internet thinks Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are moving to London:
They’ve been spending a lot of time in the UK
Over the last few months, Virat Kohli and his wife, Anushka Sharma, have been photographed several times in and around London. In December 2023, Kohli took some time off from cricket to spend time with his family and flew to the UK. He and Anushka were then photographed at a London restaurant.
In February this year, Kohli was again spotted out and about in London with his daughter Vamika. A photo of the father-daughter duo at a London restaurant went viral days after Kohli and Anushka announced the birth of their son, Akaay.
Anushka Sharma was last spotted in Mumbai in early June, when she and Kohli were papped at the airport flying to New York for the T20 World Cup.
Akaay born in London?
Virat and Anushka announced the birth of their baby boy on February 20 – five days after he was actually born. The fact that the high-profile couple managed to keep news of their baby’s birth a closely guarded secret for five days led internet sleuths to conclude that he was delivered outside of India.
In fact, several reports published at the time suggested that Akaay Kohli was born in a UK hospital. Kohli missed the India vs England Test series and travelled to England for the birth of his second child, reports said. The 35-year-old was also photographed in London days after his son’s birth, which again strengthened these rumours.
A more ‘normal’ life
“As Virat is nearing his retirement he’ll most probably live in the UK. He had mentioned before that he likes staying in Europe because most people can’t recognize them and that gives them a normal life,” reads a comment on a Reddit post debating whether the celebrity couple will move out of Mumbai.
Kohli did, indeed, talk about his delight at not being recognised when abroad. In March 2024, he said he was happy to spend time in England and connect with his daughter Vamika.
“We were not in the country. Just to feel normal for two months – for me, my family – it was a surreal experience. Couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity to spend time with the family. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised,” Kohli said.
Kohli and Anushka own a UK-listed company
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are listed as directors of Magik Lamp.
According to the UK government’s Find and update company information service, Magik Lamp is a management consultancy that was incorporated on August 1, 2022. The company’s official office address is in West Yorkshire, UK. Kohli and Anushka are two of its three directors.
