Bengaluru, Feb 13:IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru is set to announce its captain for the upcoming season on Thursday with star batter Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar being the frontrunners for the position.Kohli was the RCB captain between 2013 and 2021 before stepping down as Faf du Plessis took over.
But RCB released Du Plessis, who was their skipper from 2022 to 2024, ahead of last year’s mega auction. The 40-year-old Du Plessis will play for Delhi Capitals this season.
Kohli has a fine record as RCB captain, though he could not land them the title.
The 36-year-old has led RCB in 143 matches, the second longest stint as captain after the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings.
Kohli has 68 wins and 70 losses and four no-results to show as RCB leader.
In 2016, Kohli had led the franchise to the IPL final, and made 973 runs, to date the highest for a batter in a single IPL season.
In IPL 2024, Kohli was the top run-getter with 741 runs at a strike-rate of 154.
On the other hand, Patidar was among RCB’s retained players ahead of the auction and has the experience of leading Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The 31-year-old Patidar had guided Madhya Pradesh to the SMAT final where they lost to Mumbai by five wickets.
He was also the second highest run-getter, behind Ajinkya Rahane, with 428 from 10 matches at an average of 61 and at a strike-rate of 186.08.