Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have parted ways with Faf du Plessis and will now enter IPL 2025 under a new captain. There is a lot of specualtion on whether Virat Kohli will be back at the helm, reclaiming the skipper’s hat he gave up in 2021.
Virat Kohli to be RCB Captain in IPL 2025?
In a recent interview with Sports Tak, RCB COO Rajesh Menon shed light on IPL 2025 RCB captain choice, stating,
“We have not made any decision yet. There are multiple leaders in the team. We will deliberate and come to a conclusion.”
Virat Kohli has led Bengaluru IPL team in 143 matches between 2011 and 2023. In his leadership, RCB has 66 wins and 70 defeats. The best performance during his tenure as captain of RCB was 2016 IPL season, when he powered RCB to the final and had a stellar season scoring 973 runs.
RCB IPL 2025 Squad and Playing XI
In IPL 2025 mega auction, RCB acquired the likes of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Hazlewood, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, and Suyash Sharma. The new-signings give RCB a new-look and fans are looking to the upcoming Indian Premier League season with great expectations
On IPL auction strategy, Menon explained the franchise’s approach, “We identified key gaps and focused on strengthening our Indian core while ensuring a balanced bowling attack suited for M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Initially, people thought we were inactive in the auction, but by the end, experts and fans alike recognized that we had built one of the most well-rounded squads.”
Probable RCB Playing XI
1. Virat Kohli
2. Phil Salt (wk)
3. Rajat Patidar
4. Liam Livingstone
5. Krunal Pandya
6. Jitesh Sharma
7. Tim David
8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
9. Suyash Sharma
10. Yash Dayal
11. Josh Hazlewood
Impact Sub: Rasikh Dhar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 2025 Player List: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dhar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh
