Virat Kohli had stepped down as RCB captain in 2021.
In a massive development, Virat Kohli is likely to return as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain from the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Current skipper Faf Du Plessis is already 40. Considering his age, the Bengaluru-based franchise certainly needs a captain who can serve them for the next few seasons.
According to a TOI report, Kohli has already had discussions with the management and wants to step up at a time when there is a leadership void in the RCB camp.
RCB have failed to lift the IPL title despite having some of best cricketers in their ranks over the years. Ahead of the upcoming season, they have put the leadership piece in place and would now hope to fill in the crucial slots during the mega auction next month.
During his first stint as RCB captain from 2013 to 2021, Kohli led the side to playoffs on four occasions. The franchise also made it to the final in 2016, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Virat Kohli had relinquished RCB’s captaincy in 2021. He later explained his decision, saying that he wanted to give himself some space and manage his workload.
"I am not someone who holds onto things more than I should. Even if I know I can do a lot more, if I am not going to enjoy the process, I'm not going to do it. Because it's very difficult for people to understand your decisions unless they are in your situation. From the outside, people have their own expectations 'Oh! How did that happen? We are so shocked'," Kohli said on the RCB Podcast before the IPL 2022 season.
"There's nothing to be shocked about. I explain to people, I wanted some space and I wanted to manage my workload and the story ends there. There was actually nothing at all. I keep my life very simple and basic, when I wanted to make a decision, I made a decision and I announced it," he added.
As per the report, RCB were exploring other captaincy options as well, but felt Kohli was the right man to take the team forward in the cash-rich tournament.
It is learnt that Shubman Gill was on their radar and the franchise desperately wanted him on board but the deal didn't happen, and there is a strong possibility of them going after Rishabh Pant at the grand auction if the Delhi Capitals decided to release the wicketkeeper-batter.
(With TOI Inputs)