Be it in Indian cricket or international cricket, the jersey number 18 has become a synonym of the legendary cricket figure, Virat Kohli. The modern-day great has been wearing the number 18 since he started his career for India 17 years back in 2008. Even in the Indian Premier League, one only remembers the name of Virat Kohli while hearing or seeing the number 18 anywhere. Advertisment But there"s a catch in it, do you know that the things were quite different in the first three editions of the Indian Premier League from the first season in 2008 to the third season in 2010? Interestingly, Virat Kohli didn"t wear jersey number 18 in these three editions, and he was seen wearing jersey number 5. Now, you must be wondering why Virat Kohli wore the jersey number 5 instead of his favourite number 18. So, here we"ll tell you the exact reason behind the former RCB skipper wearing the jersey number five from IPL 2008 to IPL 2010. Also Read: WATCH: Replica of Virat Kohli"s Test jerseys sold outside Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of RCB vs KKR encounter The reason behind Virat Kohli wearing jersey number 5 from IPL 2008 to 2010 There"s an unwritten or unsaid rule in cricket behind jersey numbers that two players of the same team can"t wear jerseys with the same number. In the first three seasons of the Indian Premier League, it was former Australian middle-order batter Cameron White, who played for RCB, and he was seen wearing the jersey number 5. It automatically made the young Virat Kohli switch his jersey number from his favourite number 18 to jersey number 5. However, when Cameron White moved to the Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in the fourth IPL edition in 2011, Virat Kohli started wearing the number 18, which has been there on his back since then. Now, every RCB or Indian fan, especially the Virat Kohli fans, can be seen wearing the same number 18 jersey to show their love for their idol and the favouite cricketer. Speaking of Virat Kohli"s current journey with RCB in the ongoing IPL 2025, he has been in a brilliant run of form, being the leading run-scorer for his side. The 36-year-old has smashed 505 runs in 11 innings, including three unbeaten appearances and has an outstanding batting average of 63.12. He has also smashed seven half-centuries with the bat, being the batter to hit the most number of half-centuries in the ongoing 18th edition of the tournament. Also Read: Virat Kohli set to travel to England? Former India skipper likely to return to red-ball cricket