After the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction took place in Saudi Arabia last year in November, one of the pertinent questions that arose was who would lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league. They had let go former skipper Faf du Plessis and didn’t really pick any leadership option during the auction.
Speculations were rife that Virat Kohli will don the captain’s hat once again in an attempt to achieve IPL glory for the first time in 18 years. But to everyone’s surprise, RCB announced Rajat Patidar as the skipper of the franchise for the upcoming season.
While the appointment of Rajat Patidar surprised many, few also felt that this is a start of a new era in RCB. Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who was signed by RCB during IPL 2025 mega auction, revealed what might have transpired for Virat Kohli to not take up the captaincy.
“I don’t know why he did not want to captain. I am not in the management side of things; when I am, I will let you know. But he has not been captaining in the last 2-3 years, so it felt that he would not do it this year as well. So, I think Rajat was the best option,” Jitesh Sharma said on CricXtasy podcast.
Having been a vital part of the RCB line-up, Virat Kohli was appointed RCB captain in 2013. He stepped down from leadership at the end of IPL 2021. The highlight of Virat Kohli’s captaincy came in 2016 when he led the side to the final. However, RCB lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Surprisingly, RCB kept the Rajat Patidar as captain a secret, even from the players, except the top shots like Virat Kohli. Jitesh Sharma revealed although he knew Rajat Patidar is in the fray, but only to know about him through social media after announcement.
“I got to know about Rajat Patidar becoming the captain when everyone else got to know. But when you have been around the game for a while, you understand the flow of things. Virat bhai did not want to captain the side,” Jitesh Sharma added.
RCB’s IPL 2025 opener
RCB will open their campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Last year, RCB made the playoffs, but lost to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.
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