The excitement around the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captaincy for IPL 2025 is at its peak, with the official announcement set to be made today (Thursday, February 13) at 11:30 am. The press conference will be led by RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, and head coach, Andy Flower. Fans are eagerly waiting to see if Virat Kohli, who last captained RCB in 2021, will make a return or if a new star will take the reins.
Since Faf du Plessis was released by the franchise after three seasons of leading RCB, speculation has been rife about the future of RCB’s leadership. Although Du Plessis performed well, including leading RCB to multiple playoff appearances, he is nearing 41, prompting RCB to look towards a younger captaincy option. Du Plessis was picked up by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025 auction for ₹2 crore.
RCB has strengthened their squad with new additions like Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Liam Livingstone, among others, but none stand out as the clear captaincy candidate. This has led to rising speculation about Kohli’s return. With a record of 68 wins and 70 losses as captain, Kohli led RCB from 2013 to 2021, with a standout 2016 season, where he scored 973 runs, the highest by any player in a single IPL season.
Despite being in his late 30s, Kohli’s fitness is not a concern, but whether he is ready to return to the leadership role remains the question. Kohli has openly stated that he is selective about his responsibilities and that he does not take on leadership roles unless he is truly invested in them.
If not Kohli, RCB has other potential leaders, including Rajat Patidar. The 31-year-old has experience as the captain of Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has a solid performance track record.
Stay tuned for the big reveal later today!
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