IPL 2025: Why RCB did NOT pick Virat Kohli as captain despite being an 'option'? Explained

Despite speculations and rumours that Virat Kohli would return to helm as the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for IPL 2025, the Bengaluru-based franchise ended the speculation by officially announcing Rajat Patidar as the new skipper of the side for the upcoming season of the tournament. 

Rajat Patidar has succeeded Faf du Plessis, who captained RCB for three seasons from 2022 to 2024 before he was released from the squad and picked by Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2025 Auction. After du Plessis’s release from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad, the management has been looking for a captain who can lead the team not just for a new era but also to their first IPL title, which has been eluding them since the inaugural edition of the tournament. 

RCB could not have asked for a better candidate than Rajat Patidar, who has been a consistent performer for the side and possesses a temperament to lead a team in the upcoming IPL season. Patidar was one of the contenders for the captaincy spot as Virat Kohli too was considered as an option. The RCB batting legend was in contention to lead the team, but he was not picked by the RCB management. 

The star batter Virat Kohli has been part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru since the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Kohli holds the distinction of being the player to play for a single IPL franchise since the inception of the tournament. His long-standing association with the RCB management has made him a central figure in the franchise’s history. Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in boosting the popularity of the franchise over the last several years. 
 

Virat Kohli was appointed as the captain of RCB in 2013 and led the team till 2021. He stepped down from the captaincy duties after the IPL 2021 and passed on the leadership baton to Faf du Plessis. During his captaincy stint, Virat Kohli could not help Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinch an elusive IPL title despite reaching the final once, where they lost to SRH in 2016. He led RCB in 143 matches, but could win only 66 games, finishing with a win percentage of 46.15%. 

Apart from his failure to lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru to IPL triumph during his 9-year stint as a full–captain, Virat Kohli has been the most experienced of the players who knows the dynamics of the inside out. However, the 36-year-old was not picked as a captain by the management. 

Explaining the reason behind Virat Kohli for not getting back to the helm as a captain, RCB director Bobat stated that the Kohli does not require captaincy title to lead the team, adding that he will lead the franchise regardless of the franchise appointed Rajat Patidar as a captain. 

"Virat was an option (for captaincy). I know that the fans would have probably leaned towards Virat in the first instance. But my point on Virat would be that Virat doesn't need a captaincy title to lead," RCB director said at the media interaction. 

“Leadership, as we've all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless. But we've seen a lot of love for Rajat too.” he added.

Apart from Bobat’s statement, we need to look at the age factor. Virat Kohli is 36 years old now and probably has only a few more years left in his career. Rajat Patidar, on the other hand, is 31 years old and RCB are investing in stability and continuity while allowing Virat Kohli to bat freely without additional responsibility of captaincy. With Virat Kohli not taking up captaincy duties, he will be free of responsibilities and focusing on piling up runs. This was evident in the last IPL season, where he amassed 741 runs to become the Orange Cap winner. 

Rajat Patidar’s appointment as the RCB captain was on the back of his leadership credentials when he led the Madhya Pradesh team to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph last year. He also performed well with the bat, amassing 428 runs, including 5 fifties, at an average of 61.14 in 10 matches. With the Royal Challengers Bengaluru looking at the future, Rajat Patidar was seen as an ideal candidate and guide the team towards the new era. 
 

In his IPL career, Rajat Patidar has amassed 799 runs, including a century and seven fifties, at an average of 34.74 in 27 matches. His best season was in IPL 2024, where he aggregated 395 runs, including fifties, at an average of 30.38 in 15 matches. Rajat was first shot to fame when he played a brilliant knock of 112 off 54 balls in the IPL 2022 Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants.