Rajat Patidar, a promising batsman for India, was named the new captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), one of the most popular teams, for the 2025 Indian Premier League season. On Thursday, February 13, the Bengaluru-based team made a significant announcement following the belief that Virat Kohli will once again assume leadership.
However, following the ex-captain Faf du Plessis’s failure to be retained at the IPL mega auctions, Kohli had no interest in captaining the team. To clear up any rumours regarding the new team manager, RCB hosted a press conference. To refresh your memory, Kohli was the team captain of Bengaluru from 2011 to 2023.
As captain, he served with the team for a long time. Despite the fact that RCB was unable to win an IPL championship, Kohli’s 2016 season was quite successful as he guided the team to the championship game. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), however, prevented them from fulfilling their IPL glory dream.
By leading Madhya Pradesh (MP) in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, often known as SMAT, the gifted batter Rajat Patidar has acquired some invaluable leadership experience. The primary domestic T20 cricket competition final was reached by MP under Patidar’s leadership. Additionally, he oversaw the team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. As RCB did not select a player with leadership abilities specifically, Kohli was considered suitable to succeed du Plessis.
Additionally, the director of the RCB team explained why Kohli was not selected for another captaincy when he announced Mo Bobat as the team’s new captain. Although Bobat did not rule out the Indian great being considered for captain, he referred to him as the team’s natural leader.
“Virat was a candidate for captaincy, but he doesn’t need it to lead the team. He establishes a favourable tone. In Ahmedabad, we spoke with Virat about it. Bobat stated during the press conference, “He’s glad for Rajat.
Check out RCB’s new captain announcement post here:
The next captain of RCB is…
Many greats of the game have carved a rich captaincy heritage for RCB, and it’s now time for this focused, fearless and fierce competitor to lead us to glory! This calmness under pressure and ability to take on challenges, as he’s shown us in the… pic.twitter.com/rPY2AdG1p5
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 13, 2025
Kohli congratulated Rajat Patidar on being promoted to captain of the RCB.
India’s legendary captain and former IPL captain Virat Kohli stepped forward to offer his warmest congrats and a heartfelt message to Patidar shortly after RCB announced him as captain. The young player’s devotion to the game and his performance for the team thus far have been praised by Kohli.
Check out Virat Kohli’s message for Rajat Patidar here:
Virat Kohli said – “I request all the fans to support Rajat Patidar. He earns this position. So support Rajat and RCB team as a family”. #Rcbcaptain #RCBPodcast #IPL2025 #RajatPatidar #virat #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/AvN1WAUPgL
— vijaysurya25062002 (@surya2506234659) February 13, 2025
In the upcoming IPL 2025, he also underlined that he would give Patidar his full support. In addition, he hoped that his fellow Royal Challengers Bengaluru colleagues would support him in his new job as team leader, which would require a lot of preparation and efficiency.
“Rajat, I would want to congratulate you on your growth inside this franchise. You have won over RCB supporters across India. I assure you that the rest of the team and I will be right behind you since this is highly deserved. Support him wholeheartedly and stand by him; he will always act in the team’s and the franchise’s best interests,” Kohli stated on the RCB podcast.
I don’t tend to hoard stuff more than is necessary. If I don’t enjoy the process, I won’t do it, even if I know I’m capable of much more. The former RCB captain said, “I wanted some space and I wanted to manage my workload, and that’s where the story ends.”
Full RCB squad for IPL 2025: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.
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