India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was signed by Chennai Super Kings in the recently held IPL mega auction, reckons Virat Kohli is going to lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2025 season.
Reflecting on RCB's auction, Ashwin said the franchise hasn’t gone with any leadership option, thus he doesn’t see anyone other than Kohli leading the team.
Earlier, South African legend AB de Villiers predicted that Virat Kohli will return to captain the RCB team in IPL 2025. Kohli was retained by RCB for INR 21 Crore ahead of the grand auction, along with Rajat Patidar (INR 11 Crore) and Yash Dayal (INR 5 Crore).
“In all likelihood, I think Virat Kohli is going to captain that side. That's the feeling I get because they haven't gone for a captain. Unless and until they are going to go with somebody else. I don't see anyone other than Virat as captain,” Ashwin said in a video posted on his official YouTube handle.
During his first stint as RCB captain from 2013 to 2021, Virat 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.
Kohli had relinquished RCB’s captaincy in 2021, citing that he wanted to give himself some space and manage his workload.
Commenting on RCB's auction strategy, Ashwin said the franchise was very measured in its approach and it can be seen in their buys.
During the two-day event in Jeddah, RCB secured the services of players like Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma.
The franchise refrained from using RTM card for Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis and Will Jacks.
“I actually personally think they had a terrific auction. They balanced it and waited it out. Many teams came into this auction with many crores in their purses. They came blazing right in the front but RCB played the waiting game even though they had a lot of money. Who do I need? They are the ones I need. My overall team is important. My 12 or 14 is important,” said Ashwin.
“What will work in our conditions? I want that sort of a side. I need that team. Even though I have RTMs, I am not going to use them. I will end up picking who I want. I will follow the strategy till the end,” he added.
RCB's squad for IPL 2025: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel.
