IPL: Did Virat Kohli say no to returning as RCB captain for 2025 season?

IPL: Did Virat Kohli say no to returning as RCB captain for 2025 season?

Contrary to expectations, Virat Kohli did not return as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for IPL 2025. The former finalists appointed 31-year-old Rajat Patidar as captain for the upcoming season, set to begin on March 21. However, the franchise confirmed that both Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar were considered for the role after RCB decided not to retain former captain Faf du Plessis before the mega auction.

advertisement

Speculation about the RCB captaincy dominated social media in the lead-up to Thursday’s announcement. Pundits and fans were hopeful that Virat Kohli would return to the hot seat, three years after relinquishing the role following the IPL 2021 season. Former batter and Kohli’s good friend, AB de Villiers, was among those who believed Kohli’s appointment as RCB captain for IPL 2025 was merely a formality. De Villiers even went so far as to say that Kohli was the “only option” for RCB.

On Wednesday, head coach Andy Flower was asked whether Virat Kohli himself declined the RCB captaincy and backed Rajat Patidar. The former Zimbabwe batter shed light on his pre-auction conversation with Kohli, saying the superstar batter handled the discussion with “integrity and maturity”.

Despite releasing Faf du Plessis, RCB were particular about not splurging on high-profile captaincy options, even when the likes of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer were available in the mega auction in November.

advertisement

“Actually, in our (captaincy) discussions with Virat, I thought the integrity and maturity he showed as a man were of the highest calibre,” Flower told the press on Thursday.

“One of the things that stood out was the energy and enthusiasm that he is looking forward to doing this IPL with RCB. He obviously likes and respects Rajat, both as a person and as a player. I think that relationship will be very important.

“My experience with him last season and the way he supported Faf (Faf du Plessis) when we were struggling in the first half of the season only made my respect for him grow. I would say the same thing about our discussions over the captaincy of RCB,” he added.

VIRAT WAS IN THE MIX

Director of Cricket Mo Babat made it clear that Virat Kohli was considered for captaincy when the team management sat down to devise a roadmap. He also explained that he and Andy Flower met Kohli earlier in February in Ahmedabad to discuss the captaincy and Patidar’s appointment.

“Andy and I spent some time with Virat earlier this week, actually, in Ahmedabad (during India’s 3rd ODI vs England). What was so obvious was he had so much energy and excitement for this decision. He’s so pleased for Rajat,” Babat said.

advertisement

“Like us, he knows how deserving Rajat is of this opportunity. He’s right behind him, and we saw a real sense of energy and excitement from him.”

Virat Kohli stepped down from IPL captaincy in 2021, citing workload concerns. However, after retiring from T20Is following India’s T20 World Cup triumph last year, speculation was rife that he would reclaim the RCB captaincy.

Apart from Kohli, Rajat Patidar will have several experienced local players to lean on during the IPL 2025 season. RCB assembled a strong Indian core at the auction, securing the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, and Jitesh Sharma.

Published By:

Akshay Ramesh

Published On:

Feb 13, 2025

CosmoNews

Comments are closed.

CosmoNews@2020. All Rights Reserved