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RCB’s Mo Bobat said Virat Kohli was considered for captaincy but highlighted his leadership without a title.
Virat Kohli (right) with Glenn Maxwell. (PTI Photo)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director Mo Bobat said the team considered Virat Kohli for the vacant post of captaincy but added that the superstar batter ‘doesn’t need a title’ to contribute to the team as a leader, and has been doing that since Faf du Plessis’ time at the helm. He was speaking at the team event in Bengaluru where they announced Madhya Pradesh’s Rajat Patidar as the leader for the IPL 2025 season.
Kohli captained RCB for nine years between 2013 and 2021 before stepping down. du Plessis took over in 2022 but couldn’t deliver the title and was released ahead of the 2025 auction. RCB didn’t go after any of the established leaders in the auction and some reports suggested that it was because Kohli wanted to return to the helm. However, it’s not being said that the team changed tactics recently and zeroed on Patidar.
“Of course, Virat was an option,” Bobat said. “That goes without saying, and I know that the fans would have probably leaned towards Virat in the first instance, but we have seen a lot of love for Rajat too… Virat doesn’t need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we’ve all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless. For us, even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat. The volume of runs, and the strike rate that he scored last year was so impressive and so important for us.”
The director added: “He sets the tone. He leads on the field. I can think of two or three specific instances where he’s actually created runout chances and wickets from nothing. Everyone in the field knows that they’ve got to be up to the standards because of him. He sets the tone with his energy often. Everyone’s seen how much he likes to fight and a scrap and how much he wants to be the person getting us over the line. And then also the things that people don’t see as much is his professionalism, the way he practices, the way he trains, his gym routines, his lifestyle, his nutrition, he’s an example. So, look, I think everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat’s a leader in every sense of the word.”
Soon after the announcement, RCB released a video of Kohli congratulating Patidar and pledging his support to the 31-year-old.
“In our discussions with Virat, I thought the integrity and maturity that he showed over the subject were of the highest caliber,” head coach Andy Flower said at the event. “One of the things that stood out was the energy and enthusiasm he has for the upcoming season. You saw in the video earlier the authenticity with which he spoke. He was a huge part of turning the season around (IPL 2024) for us. That experience with him last season only made my respect for him grow. I have got only good things to say about him.”
