RCB chose Rajat Patidar to be their captain for IPL 2025 and beyond, ending all speculations about Virat Kohli would return to that role.
The mystery is over. Rajat Patidar, and not Virat Kohli, is the captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for IPL 2025 and beyond. Despite speculations running rife that Kohli may return to captain the franchise again, the franchise opted for a fresher contender as the face of the franchise. Ever since RCB announced their three official retentions in November, the toss-up has always been between Kohli and Patidar. Kohli has led RCB with utmost dedication and zeal for 10 years, but ever since he stepped down, it was unlikely he would up the role again. And on Thursday, it was made official. Kohli as captain is now a thing of the past, and Patidar is the one to usher RCB into the future.
Kohli wished Patidar all the best for this new chapter of his career, but adding intrigue to the whole captaincy discussion was Mo Bapat’s admission that Virat was indeed an ‘option’ for it. In fact, Kohli, Bobat and head coach Andy Flower even met ahead of the 3rd ODI between India and England in Ahmedabad, where once and for all, the decision was finalised.
“To choose from, you know, whether we went Indian or overseas was an important discussion point for us. We felt quite strongly that an Indian captain was preferable. That’s nothing against any overseas options. Of course, you know, we’ve talked glowingly about that, but we looked really keenly at an Indian option, primarily because it’s an Indian competition on Indian pitches against predominantly Indian players. So somebody who’s got that local knowledge and insight is really, really helpful for us. So, look, lots of options,” Bobat, RCB’s director of operations, said.
Also Read: RCB Captaincy Announcement Highlights
“Of course, Virat was an option. You know, that goes without saying, and I know that the fans would have probably leant towards Virat in the first instance, but we’ve seen a lot of look for Rajat too. Look, my point on Virat would be that Virat doesn’t need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we’ve all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to let me lead regardless. For us, even last year with Fafa’s captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads, as an example, with the back, the volume of runs and the strike rate that he scored out last year was so impressive and so important for us. He set the tone. He leads in the field.”
In the second leg of the IPL 2021, Kohli willingly stepped down as captain of the franchise. Since then, Faf captained RCB for three seasons, and hence, going back to Kohli was always going to be the last resort. Look at Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. As great captains MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma were, they were replaced by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya at their respective franchises. Franchises, especially in the IPL, invest in a player with an eye on the future. Kohli may still be with RCB for many more years, but a captaincy is not something teams take a step back on.
‘Virat Kohli always a leader’
As for Kohli’s role, Bobat insisted it doesn’t change. Captain or not, Kohli is always one of the team’s leaders and as he himself said in the video, he will always lend his support to Patidar in every way possible. Even during the last three seasons of the IPL, Kohli was constantly at Du Plessis’ ears and took over when he either wasn’t on the field or the Impact Player rule came into effect during RCB’s matches. But the bigger picture was to look into the future, and Patidar fits that role perfectly.
“I can think of two or three specific (instances where he’s actually created run-out chances and wickets from nothing. He sets the tone. Everyone in the field knows that they’ve got to be up to their standards because of him. He sets the tone with his energy often. Everyone’s seen how much he likes a fight and a scrap, how much he wants to be the person, getting us over the line. And then also, the things that people don’t see as much is his professionalism, the way he practices, the way he trains, his gym routines, his lifestyle, his nutrition. He’s an example. So I think everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat’s a leader in every sense of the word. Andy and I lean on him quite a lot,” added Bobat.
“Faf’s leant on him quite a lot, and we’re pretty sure that Rajat will be leaning on him too. Andy and I spent some time with Virat earlier this week, actually, in Ahmedabad, and it was really nice getting some time with him and talking things through with him. And what was so obvious was he had so much energy and excitement for this decision and this appointment. And you probably saw it in the short video as well. He’s so pleased for Rajat. Like us, he knows how deserving Rajat is of this opportunity, nd he’s right behind him. And we saw a real sense of energy and excitement from him. So, of course, he was an option, but for all the reasons that we’ve stated about Rajat, this felt like really good timing for us. And it’s brilliant to know that Virat’s on board and he’s right behind him. We’re all certain Rajat’s in safe hands with Virat right now.”
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- Virat Kohli
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