“Virat bhai did not want to captain the side” - RCB star’s massive statement on Kohli ahead of IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has claimed that Virat Kohli did not want to return as captain for the 2025 IPL season. After three years with Faf du Plessis at the helm, the franchise let go of the South African great ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.

Despite plenty of chatter about Kohli possibly returning as captain, the franchise went elsewhere, appointing Rajat Patidar as skipper. Kohli led RCB in 143 games before stepping down ahead of the 2022 season.

Speaking about RCB's captaincy decision on the CricXtasy podcast, Jitesh said (via India Today):

"I got to know about Rajat Patidar becoming the captain when everyone else got to know. But when you have been around the game for a while, you understand the flow of things. Virat bhai did not want to captain the side."

He added:

"I don't know why he did not want to captain. I am not in the management side of things; when I am, I will let you know. But he has not been captaining in the last 2-3 years, so it felt that he would not do it this year as well. So, I think Rajat was the best option."

Meanwhile, Jitesh was acquired by RCB at the IPL 2025 auction for a whopping ₹ 11 crore. He spent the first three years of his IPL career with the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

"Rajat definitely deserves the captaincy" - Jitesh Sharma

On the same podcast, Jitesh Sharma backed RCB's decision to appoint Rajat Patidar as captain, vowing to help him as much as possible in the upcoming IPL season.

Patidar has been with the franchise since 2021 and played a massive role in the side's qualification to the playoffs last year, scoring 395 runs at a strike rate of almost 180.

"Rajat definitely deserves the captaincy. He has given his services to RCB for so many years. I have played a lot of cricket with Rajat. I would definitely help him with the captaincy," Jitesh said.

Patidar led Madhya Pradesh in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), with the team finishing as runners-up in the former. The 31-year-old was one of the three players retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 auction, with Kohli and Yash Dayal being the others.

Their 2025 campaign will begin with a blockbuster clash against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in Kolkata on Saturday, March 22.