Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) legendary overseas player AB de Villiers has ruled out the possibility of five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain Rohit Sharma moving to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to take over the reins from Faf du Plessis. De Villiers feels that there is a ‘zero or 0.1 per cent chance’ of Rohit leading rival franchise RCB in IPL 2025 as the Mumbai-based franchise is likely to retain him ahead of the mega auction.
"I almost laughed at the Rohit comment. That will be quite a story if Rohit moves from Mumbai Indians to RCB. Wow! Imagine the headlines. It will be bigger than Hardik Pandya's move. He moved from Gujarat Titans back to Mumbai, which although wasn't big a surprise. But if Rohit moves from Mumbai to join his rivals in RCB...oh my god! I don't think there is an option there. I don't see a possibility of MI leaving Rohit. I will give that zero or 0.1 per cent chance," De Villiers said during a live Q&A session on YouTube.
Kohli to back Du Plessis as captain?
De Villiers also feels that 40-year-old Du Plessis is still capable of leading RCB and Virat Kohli will back him for the role.
"Age is just a number, guys. I don't see why his turning 40 would be an issue. He has been there for a few seasons, and the players are used to him. I understand there has been pressure on him because he hasn't won the trophy for RCB, but he has been exceptional as a player. I think Virat will back him with all his experience," he added.
Du Plessis recently led Saint Lucia Kings to Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 final. They will face Guyana Amazon Warriors on October 6 in the final at Providence Stadium.
Du Plessis’ captaincy record for RCB
Under the leadership of Du Plessis, RCB made a miraculous comeback in IPL 2024 and managed to qualify for the playoffs with a thrilling win over Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last league stage game. Since taking over in IPL 2022, Du Plessis has led the Bangalore-based franchise to 21 wins from 42 games. In IPL 2022 and IPL 2024, they qualified for the playoffs but could not make it to the final.
