A significant development has arisen in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is poised to reinstate Virat Kohli as the franchise's captain. Kohli, who led the Bengaluru side from 2013 to 2021, chose to relinquish the role after the 14th edition of the T20 league. RCB was under the leadership of South African cricketer Faf du Plessis from 2022 to 2024. However, a major change is on the horizon as Kohli is set to resume the captaincy ahead of the upcoming mega auction.
Virat Kohli no longer holds a captaincy position in any of the three formats at the international level. He stepped down from T20 internationals following India's victory at the 2024 T20 World Cup. As reported by the Times of India, Kohli is poised to lead his IPL team once again.
Kohli had announced his decision to step down as RCB captain before the conclusion of the 2021 season. Many speculated that this decision was influenced by the franchise's inability to secure an IPL title under his leadership. However, even after Kohli's departure, the team continued to face similar challenges.
In 2021, when announcing his decision to step down as captain of RCB, Virat Kohli stated: "I will continue to be an RCB player till I play my last game in the IPL. But it's been a great journey of nine years of joy, frustration, moments of happiness and sadness, and I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and believing in me relentlessly and unconditionally.
"And I will continue to be committed to play for this franchise as I said till the last day of me playing IPL... for you guys, for the fans, because of what you've done for me and how you've made me feel over the last so many years that is going to stay with me for the rest of my life," Kohli had said three years ago."
The return of Kohli as the captain of RCB all but confirms that Faf du Plessis will not be retained by the franchise. Reports have also indicated that the team was pursuing Shubman Gill for the role, but he ultimately chose to stay with the Gujarat Titans.
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