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Royal Challengers Bangalore, after last season, was expecting Virat Kohli to return as captain, only for him to turn it down just weeks before IPL begins this year, sources told CricBlogger. Sources said that the franchisee was so sure of Kohli coming back as the leader that they didn’t even go for a captaincy option at the auction.
Sources also said that Kohli has completely ruled out leadership roles in any team at this stage of his career and is more inclined to contribute with the bat and help the new RCB captain in the best possible way. Given his history with the franchise, it’s understandable why RCB wanted him back in the role.
But Kohli has been clear about stepping away from captaincy in all formats, so his decision isn’t entirely surprising. Source also said RCB is considering Krunal Pandya, who has led Lucknow Super Giants, Rajat Patidar, or Bhuvneshwar Kumar as captaincy options and the announcement is expected on Thursday.
Patidar is talented but relatively inexperienced in leadership, while RCB’s home Chinnaswamy stadium is perfectly suited for Krunal and Bhuvneshwar who have captained in patches but never on a full-time basis.
Choosing an Indian captain aligns with the general trend in the IPL and the franchise was banking on Kohli to do the job again. “He can step in and help the team anytime but he won’t agree to captain RCB again on a full-time basis,” the source added.
