"He would have said, ‘I want to focus on batting’” - Former India opener’s huge statement on Virat Kohli as RCB captain for IPL 2025

Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth believes ace batter Virat Kohli would have willingly declined the option of captaining Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025 to prioritize his batting. Kohli has captained RCB in 143 games, winning 66 and losing 70 of those.

However, South African great Faf du Plessis led the franchise from 2022 to 2024, where they qualified for the playoffs in two out of the three seasons. With Faf not retained ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, many wondered if Kohli would return as RCB skipper for the upcoming season.

Yet, they recently appointed middle-order batter Rajat Patidar as captain for the 2025 IPL season.

Talking about Kohli being overlooked as a possible captaincy option, Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel [via India Today]:

"I think Virat would have said no to the captaincy. He would have said ',I want to focus on batting'. I think all this must have happened in consultation with Virat Kohli."

The 1983 World Cup-winning batter also backed RCB's appointment of Patidar as captain.

"Rajat Patidar is a good choice. He has been doing well in the IPL. The good things is he will not have a lot of expectations. When we appointed Dhoni in 2007 as the T20 World Cup captain, not a lot was expected of him and the team. It's a bit like that...Expectations from Rajat Patidar as a captain are not high. He will take his own calls. He will consult Virat Kohli, who will be a guiding force," said Srikkanth.

Patidar recently captained Madhya Pradesh in the 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), leading the side to a runners-up finish. The 31-year-old also led Madhya Pradesh in the 2024/25 Vijay Hazare Trophy and has been an integral part of RCB since the 2021 season.

"Request all the fans to show him absolute support" - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli welcomed RCB's move to appoint Rajat Patidar as the captain for the 2025 IPL season. He hailed Patidar's evolution as a player and leader over the past few years and asked the fans to get behind RCB's new captain.

In a video released by RCB, Kohli said [quoted by ESPN Cricinfo]:

"The way he has led his state team as well and the responsibility that he's taken and has shown everyone that he has what it takes to lead this amazing franchise and I just wish him all the very best and I would request all the fans to show him absolute support, get right behind him and know that he will always and always do what's best for the team, what's best for this franchise."

He added:

"The way you have grown in this franchise and the way you have performed, you have really made a place in the hearts of all the fans of RCB all over India and they get really excited to watch you play. I've seen Rajat evolve in the last couple of years as a player. He has got the chance to play for India. His game has improved many levels in the last couple of years."

Patidar has a challenging task at hand, with RCB still searching for their elusive IPL title despite playing all 17 seasons. Their last final appearance came under Kohli in 2016.