Will Virat Kohli be named RCB captain for IPL 2025 after being retained?

Kohli had stepped down as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) following the conclusion of the IPL 2021 season.

Kohli joined Royal Challengers as a player in 2008, the inaugural year of the IPL, and became the franchise’s regular captain in 2013. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore ahead of this year’s mega auction. However, RCB released Faf du Plessis, who had led the side after Kohli had stepped down.

It remains to be seen if RCB will now name Kohli as captain.

Kohli had stepped down as captain of RCB following the conclusion of the IPL 2021 season. This announcement came just three days after he revealed his decision to resign as captain of India’s T20I team after the World Cup in October-November.

Kohli joined Royal Challengers as a player in 2008, the inaugural year of the IPL, and became the franchise’s regular captain in 2013. Over his captaincy, he led the team in 132 matches, placing him second only to MS Dhoni, who has a record 196 matches as captain. Despite his impressive tenure, Kohli has yet to secure an IPL title.

One of the league’s highest-paid players, Kohli began his journey with Royal Challengers shortly after leading India to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. During his early years with the team, he played under Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid before taking on the captaincy role.