The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have made it to the playoffs stage of IPL 2021 as they finished third in the league stage with 18 points to their name in 14 matches, thanks to a fantastic last-ball win over table toppers Delhi Capitals (DC) on Friday (8 October).

But, since the current skipper Virat Kohli has announced that he will be stepping down as the RCB captain after IPL 2021, the former India cricketer Ashish Nehra has suggested Devdutt Padikkal as a successor to the ace right-hand batter.

With Kohli has made it clear that he will be continuing to represent the Bangalore-based franchise, many fans and pundits backed the former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers to become the future skipper.

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The 42-year-old Ashish Nehra however opined that Padikkal has the potential to lead this RCB franchise in the upcoming seasons. The ex-cricketer then went on to add that since RCB will be looking for a long-term captain, the captaincy should be handed over the 21-year-old.

“Devdutt Padikkal has the ability to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore team effectively. If the team is looking for a player as the captain for a long time, then they will have to hand over the captaincy to Padikkal,” Nehra told Cricbuzz.

The left-handed Padikkal had made his debut for RCB in IPL 2020 and has been impressive since as the opener already has 822 runs from 26 games in the IPL. As far as the 2021 edition of IPL is concerned, has notched up 390 runs in 13 matches for RCB, including an unbeaten 101* as his highest score of the season so far.

The Virat Kohli and Co. will now be seen out on the field as they lock horns with the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator on Monday (October 11) at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

(With Cricbuzz Inputs)