Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 under new leadership after Faf du Plessis' departure from the setup. RCB opted not to retain the former South African captain and did not target a definitive captaincy candidate in the IPL 2025 mega auction, fueling speculation about the team's leadership. With the franchise searching for a new captain, speculations are growing further among fans and experts that Virat Kohli, who stepped down in 2021, could reclaim the role. However, RCB has yet to make an official announcement on the matter.
Virat Kohli has captained RCB in 143 IPL matches between 2011 and 2023, securing 66 wins and facing 70 losses. He led the team to the IPL 2016 final, where he delivered a record-breaking season with the bat, accumulating 973 runs, the most ever in a season.
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In the IPL 2025 mega auction, RCB bolstered their squad with key signings, including Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Hazlewood and Romario Shepherd but did not go for du Plessis.
While RCB do have captaincy options in Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt and Krunal Pandya, the team is likely to lean towards Virat Kohli, given his captaincy experience.
'We Have Not Decided Anything': RCB COO On Team's Captaincy
The RCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rajesh Menon, in a conversation with Sports Tak, recently stated that no decision has been made regarding Virat Kohli's captaincy for IPL 2025. He mentioned that the team has multiple leadership options and will deliberate before reaching a conclusion.
“Currently we have not decided anything. We have multiple leaders in the team. 4-5 leaders are there. We have not deliberated what we need to do. We will deliberate, and we will come to a conclusion," Menon said.