The RCB has shortlisted 22 players to be a part of their team for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) after a two-day auction was held last week. However, the identity of the team captain has remained an issue of some controversy. Since there’s no obvious candidate to replace him, people think that Virat Kohli could come back as captain. Kohli, who has been RCB’s captain till he relinquished the position in 2021, was at the helm of the team when they last reached an IPL final in 2016.
AB de Villiers, the former RCB legend, further stirred the speculation that Kohli will “lead” the side in the next season. On his YouTube channel, de Villiers said, “I do not think it has been decided officially, but I think he is going to be the captain, I believe, when considering the team list.” His remarks have stirred the spirit of expectation among fans for the return of Kohli to captain the side.
Nonetheless, Virat Kohli is the frontrunner while RCB does have few other choices. Out of all their best auction finds for the season, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, an experienced Indian speedster, has also played leadership roles such as the interim captain for Sunrisers Hyderabad team. Left-arm spinning allrounder Krunal Pandya, the other new entrant in the squad, has captained Baroda in first-class cricket but has not led any side in the IPL.
In an interview, AB de Villiers said he is happy with what RCB did in the auction especially in the pace bowling lineup. He included the signing of players such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Lungi Ngidi. “We have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, fine with Josh Hazlewood. We did spill over a couple here and there. It was close, but at least we got Lungi Ngidi. The Proteas announced that their fast bowler Kagiso Rabada failed a fitness test and was a close call from being ruled out of the Test team as well. He’s got an outstanding slower ball, and when he is fielding, if he’s a proper match and fit to bowling, then let me tell you, he is unbeatable,” said the former South African captain.
RCB fans are still waiting for the official confirmation regarding the captaincy as the team is set for the 2025 season with a good set of players.
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