Who is Shash Kiran? Meet the Man Spotted with Virat Kohli in London

A recent photo of Virat Kohli walking in London with a grey-bearded look and a well-dressed man by his side has gone viral. Fans quickly started asking: Who is the man with Virat Kohli? The mystery man has now been identified as Shashikiran Shivaiah Maruthi, popularly known as Shash Kiran.

What Does Shash Kiran Do?

Shash Kiran is not from the cricket world, but he plays a big role in sports consultancy and wealth management. He is the Consulting CEO of Prime Sports and Media, a sports marketing and consulting company based in the United Kingdom.

Along with that, Shash also works as a Full-Time Director and Head of Operations at Citi Global Wealth EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa). His job involves managing big operational strategies to deliver high-end services for clients across regions.

20+ Years of Professional Experience

According to his LinkedIn profile, Shash has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. His expertise covers many areas, such as:

• Commercial lending

• Corporate and investment banking

• Securities and mutual funds

• Private banking

• Wealth management

He is known for successfully leading major transformation projects and mission-critical programs for top financial institutions.

Why Was Shash Kiran With Virat Kohli?

While there’s no official statement yet, industry sources suggest the meeting may have been for either personal investment planning or future sports collaboration through Shash’s media agency. Since Kohli has retired from Test and T20I formats, he may now be exploring off-field partnerships and long-term ventures.

What’s Next for Virat Kohli?

Virat Kohli last played in the IPL 2025, where he led RCB to their first-ever IPL title. He retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup and announced his Test retirement before the England tour. Kohli recently spoke at the YWC Gala event in July, joking about how often he has to dye his beard, saying: “You know it’s time when you’re colouring your beard every four days.”

Kohli is not expected to play in August. But he will likely return for the Asia Cup 2025 in September and is expected to feature in the India vs Australia ODIs in October 2025.