“They didn’t want to put pressure on Virat Kohli” - Former India batter’s massive statement on RCB captaincy for IPL 2025

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar felt Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made the right decision by overlooking Virat Kohli for captaincy in the upcoming 2025 IPL season. The franchise recently appointed middle-order batter Rajat Patidar as the skipper, much to the surprise of many who assumed Kohli would be back at the helm.

Kohli had previously led RCB in 143 matches, including their last final appearance in 2016. However, former South African Faf du Plessis took over as captain for the last three seasons before RCB decided to let go of him.

Talking about RCB's captaincy decision, Manjrekar told Star Sports [via India Today]:

"I thought RCB took a very good decision. They didn't want to put pressure on Virat Kohli by giving him the responsibility of captaincy. When someone is in the nothing-to-lose zone, you must have seen reality shows, when someone is out of the race or singing in his farewell round."

Patidar does not have any captaincy experience in the IPL. However, he recently led Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), with the side finishing runners-up in the former.

The 31-year-old has been with RCB since the 2021 season and enjoyed his best performance last year, scoring 395 runs at an average of over 30 and a strike rate of 177.13.

"Best of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in recent times will be seen in this IPL" - Sanjay Manjrekar

The duo have recently struggled for form, especially in red-ball cricket [Credit: Getty]

Sanjay Manjrekar backed India's legendary batting duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to shine in the 2025 IPL season. The pair has struggled for form in the recent months, resulting in India's back-to-back Test series defeats against New Zealand at home and Australia in Australia.

“I think the best of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in recent times will be seen in this IPL. These two are big brands of Indian cricket, are together in this game," said Manjrekar.

Kohli and Rohit retired from T20Is after helping India triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.

Kohli enjoyed an incredible IPL 2024 season with the willow, finishing as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 741 runs at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69 in 15 matches. Meanwhile, Rohit was more inconsistent with his run in IPL 2024, finishing with 417 runs at an average of 32.07 and a strike rate of 150 in 15 games.