Despite all the buzz around Virat Kohli that he might take up the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) captaincy role, it was finally revealed that it wasn't him but Rajat Patidar who will be leading the side for the IPL 2025. Rajat Patidar became the eight captain of the RCB in IPL.
Mohammed Kaif left surprised after RCB didn't appoint Virat Kohli as their captain ahead of IPL 2025
But former India's star Mohammed Kaif was surprised at Virat Kohli not being named captain of RCB for the 2025 edition of the IPL. Kaif admitted to being somewhat shocked by the choice, noting that after releasing Faf du Plessis last season, it seemed logical to appoint a senior player as captain.Kaif, however, believes that Kohli likely played a big role in Patidar's appointment. He suggested that Kohli effectively runs the team and therefore would have had input into the decision, implying that Kohli may have preferred not to take on the captaincy role again. Kaif said that even Kohli isn't the captain, it's his job to tell the management to buy certain players and back them.
"I was a little surprised. I thought Virat Kohli would lead RCB, given they did not retain Faf du Plessis. I thought Kohli was effectively running RCB. Even if he is not the captain of the side, it is his job to tell the management to buy certain players and back them. So, if Patidar has become captain, Virat Kohli is behind it. That franchise has not won a single trophy in 18 years, but Kohli is still with them. That's how much RCB respect him; that's how much RCB value Virat's brand," Kaif said on his YouTube show.
"If Kohli did not become the captain and Rajat Patidar did, then certainly he is behind that. Kohli is 37; he must have wanted to focus on his batting and wanted a young player to lead the side, keeping the franchise's future in mind. But it will be difficult for Patidar," he added.
Heading into the IPL 2025 auction, RCB retained only three players, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal. These three were identified as key to the franchise's future plans. At the auction, RCB focused on strengthening their middle order, acquiring several all-rounders including Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, and Krunal Pandya. They also invested in their pace attack, adding premium bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood to their roster.
RCB's full squad for IPL 2025:
Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh.