Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be led by the talented Rajat Patidar during IPL 2025. Ahead of the season, there were speculations that Virat Kohli might take over as RCB skipper, however, the myth was busted after RCB named Patidar as captain. For the unversed, Virat Kohli stepped down as RCB captain in 2021.
Former Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, who was signed by RCB for 11 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, decoded why Rajat Patidar was chosen to lead RCB ahead of Virat Kohli. Sharma said he got the news of Rajat Patidar becoming RCB captain via social media post, but he was aware that he will be named the captain for IPL 2025.
"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," Jitesh said on the CricXtasy podcast ahead of the start of IPL 2025
He further speculated that Virat Kohli was not named the RCB captain because Kohli didn't want to lead the side as he had been away from the leadership role for four years.
"I don't know why he did not want to captain. I am not on 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," he added.
RCB will open the IPL 2025 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on March 22. The team would be eyeing their maiden title in IPL 2025 having suffered heartbreaks in every year since the inception of the league.