Full list of Indians to captain RCB in IPL history ft. Rajat Patidar

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) announced Rajat Patidar as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Patidar is now the eighth captain to lead the franchise in the history of the competition.

RCB moved on from Faf Du Plessis, their previous captain, as they did not retain him ahead of the upcoming season. While it was being speculated that Virat Kohli would lead the side once again, the franchise put the speculation to rest by announcing the new skipper.

Rajat Patidar has played 27 matches for RCB so far and has scored 799 runs at an average of 34.73 and a strike rate of 158.84 with a century and seven hundreds.

Moreover, Rajat Patidar will be only the fourth Indian captain to lead RCB in the history of the IPL. Who are the other Indian captains who have led the side before? Let us find out in the list below.

---

Full list of Indians to captain RCB in IPL history

#1 Rahul Dravid

Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid was the first player to lead RCB in the history of the IPL. Dravid led the side in the inaugural season in 2008. However, he did not have a great captaincy stint as the team managed to win only four out of their fourteen games, suffering 10 defeats.

The team finished seventh in the points table and did not have an impressive season. Dravid captained in just one season and was replaced as captain the following year. He had a win percentage of just 28.57% as RCB captain.

---

#2 Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble (right) in action for RCB during the 2009 IPL season - Source: Getty

Another former Indian cricketer and legend Anil Kumble took over from Dravid as captain of RCB in the 2009 season. Under his leadership, the franchise qualified for their first-ever final as well. Unfortunately, they ended up losing to the Deccan Chargers.

Kumble led the side in the 2010 edition as well, where RCB lost the semifinal but won the third-place play-off. He had a successful stint as the skipper, winning 19 out of 35 matches with 16 defeats. His win percentage of 54.28 is the best among all RCB captains to date.

---

#3 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli captained RCB in the absence of Daniel Vettori in 2011. However, he took over as full-time captain in 2013. He led the side till the 2021 season before stepping down. Kohli also led the side in a few games in 2023 in Faf Du Plessis' absence.

Under Kohli, RCB reached the 2016 IPL final but fell short as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has been the longest captain for the franchise, leading in 143 games with 66 wins and 70 defeats and a win percentage of 46.15.

---

#4 Rajat Patidar

As mentioned above, newly appointed captain Rajat Patidar is only the fourth Indian to lead the side in their IPL history. Patidar joined RCB in 2021 but was unsold in 2022. However, he returned to the franchise in 2022 as a replacement player.

The 31-year-old led his state team Madhya Pradesh to the final of the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season and has proven his abilities as a leader. Rajat Patidar played a key role for RCB with the bat last season and will now have the additional responsibility of captaining the side in the 2025 season.