Virat Kohli to returns as captain, Indian star has informed the team management…
Former India captain Virat Kohli will be seen in the role of skipper again. Once again it will be in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he has expressed desire to return as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team for the upcoming IPL 2025 season.
Kohli has made this decision just one day before the IPL 2025 Retention Day on October 31 when all 10 teams have to announce their full list of retained players. According to media reports, Kohli has already had discussions with the RCB team management and communicated to them that he will be willing to take over the role of captain again.
The move has come since RCB are unlikely to retain current skipper Faf du Plessis as one of retained players. According to sources close to the RCB franchise, Virat Kohli is the only sure-shot retention for the RCB team, which has not won the IPL title in the last 16 years.
With Du Plessis not retained, there was a leadership vacuum in the side, which Kohli has decided to fill for the upcoming season. The former South African skipper led RCB since Kohli stepped down from IPL 2022 to 2024.
Kohli has been with RCB right from season one in 2008 when he was picked as an uncapped player. He had led the side from IPL 2013 to the IPL 2021 season, and came close to winning the coveted IPL crown in 2016 when they lost in the final to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The star Indian batter stepped down from the captaincy position in 2021 days after giving up India’s T20I leadership as well. He had reiterated that he was only stepping down as captain and doesn’t intend to leave the club.
Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after #IPL2021
“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me.”: Virat Kohli#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/QSIdCT8QQM
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) September 19, 2021
“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me,” Kohli had said back then.
Kohli has scored 8,004 runs in 252 matches for RCB with 8 hundreds and 55 fifties at an average of 38.67. In IPL 2024, Kohli scored 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75 with 1 hundred and 5 fifties.