Fortunately, RCB has several candidates for the team captaincy assembled after the auction.
After releasing Faf du Plessis ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) did not get him back. While they bought some quality players during the auction, RCB are yet to decide who will be their captain but have several options to choose him from.
There have been reports about Virat Kohli being reintroduced as RCB captain, and several publications have reported it. However, it is unclear whether he will accept the offer to take over again.
Why Virat Kohli shouldn’t return as RCB captain?
There are several reasons why Virat Kohli should not return as captain of RCB for IPL 2025. Firstly, Kohli himself has stepped down from the captaincy and is unlikely to agree to return to the helm again at this stage of his career.
When Kohli stepped down from the captaincy of all formats and the IPL, he made his intentions clear that he wanted to concentrate on his batting. He has enjoyed great success after stepping down from the captaincy and with age not on his side, Kohli may not agree to take over the role again.
Now that he has abandoned T20Is, the IPL is his only source of T20 cricket and he would not want to overload him. Also, RCB have tried Kohli as captain for a long period, but the results have not been as desired, even though they have done well in patches, so they are aiming to return to him.
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Who are the best IPL 2025 captaincy candidates for RCB?
Fortunately, RCB has several candidates for the team captaincy assembled after the auction. Many have played a lot of T20 cricket and possess vast experience, so RCB can pick any of them to lead the team.
Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the experienced players leading a T20 team. Some have led the IPL, some in local tournaments and some have also captained their national team.
Players like Krunal and Bhuvneshwar have captained the IPL, Rajat is the leader of his home team Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Salt and Livingstone have led England in white-ball cricket.
So, the options are many, but the question remains the same. Who is the ideal candidate among them to take charge next season?
Who would fit perfectly as RCB captain among the planned options?
The two best options to lead RCB in IPL 2025 are Rajat Patidar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for several reasons. As well as being experts in their role, both have demonstrated tactical acumen and superior awareness in the shortest format.
Rajat Patidar’s best format is T20 and he would have gained good experience leading Madhya Pradesh in the home tournament. Furthermore, he will remain with them for a long time and will be a long-term investment as a leader, which would add strength to the group.
Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar brings extensive experience playing in the league and has a proven track record. He knows how the T20 format works and understands its nuances, and his previous experience leading the league works in his favour.
He has led an IPL time eight times in his IPL career. Overall in T20 cricket, Bhuvneshwar has led 15 times in T20.
Hence, these two are RCB’s best options to lead them from next season. Their credentials are stronger than other players on the team and they are more prepared to handle the players and the team.
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