Virat Kohli’s team has issued a firm denial after an allegation surfaced claiming that ₹5 crore was connected to the cricketer’s first visit to spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan. A spokesperson for the former India captain described the allegation as “completely false, baseless and factually incorrect,” while stressing that Kohli’s association with the spiritual leader is rooted in personal faith rather than a financial arrangement.
The controversy stems from claims made by Dinesh Sharma, also known as Falahari Maharaj and president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas. Reports say Sharma alleged in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that a Rajasthan-based private company and people associated with the property sector spent ₹5 crore to facilitate Kohli’s first visit to Premanand Maharaj’s ashram in 2023.
Kohli’s representatives have rejected that account.
The spokesperson said Kohli visits Premanand Maharaj “purely out of his deep faith and reverence for Maharaj Ji,” and also urged media organisations to verify allegations before amplifying them.
The wording of the ₹5 crore claim matters
There is an important distinction in how the allegation has been reported.
Some headlines and social-media posts have characterised the controversy as a claim that Kohli personally received ₹5 crore. However, reporting on Sharma’s letter describes his allegation more broadly: that a private company and a property-linked group spent ₹5 crore to facilitate Kohli’s first visit and allegedly increase the ashram’s visibility.
Neither version has been substantiated with publicly available documentary evidence. No verified contract, payment record or similar material establishing that Kohli or his wife Anushka Sharma received such a payment has emerged publicly. Kohli’s camp has categorically denied any such financial connection.
That distinction is especially important because an allegation about expenditure by a third party is not automatically proof that the person involved received the money.
Kohli and Anushka’s visits go back to 2023
Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s connection with Premanand Maharaj is not based on a single recent appearance.
Their first widely reported meeting with the spiritual leader took place in Vrindavan on January 4, 2023. The couple has since returned on several occasions, with videos of their conversations and visits frequently circulating online.
Their visits have continued across different stages of Kohli’s cricket career. In May 2025, for instance, Kohli and Anushka visited Premanand Maharaj shortly after the cricketer announced his retirement from Test cricket.
More recently, the couple visited the spiritual leader on July 22, 2026, when images of them walking barefoot through rainy conditions in Vrindavan received widespread attention.
That history adds useful context to the current dispute. Whatever prompted the original allegation, Kohli and Anushka’s visits have been publicly documented over several years rather than appearing as a one-off promotional appearance.
Why the allegation has surfaced now
The claim emerged amid increased scrutiny surrounding the Radha Keli Kunj Ashram following the death of disciple Rasik Dulari in September. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, and Sharma subsequently made a series of allegations concerning the ashram, including the claim involving Kohli.
That broader controversy does not establish the ₹5 crore allegation as fact. At present, what can be stated confidently is narrower: Sharma has made the allegation, no publicly verified evidence has emerged to substantiate a payment to Kohli, and Kohli’s representatives have explicitly denied it.
For a claim involving both a high-profile celebrity and a large financial figure, that distinction between an allegation and an established transaction is the most important part of the story.
