Home Articles IPL 2022: Could Virat Kohli return as RCB skipper after leaving captaincy...
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Who will be the next captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team? The hype around the subject isn’t inferior to any other cricketing topic in the country at present by any means. Virat Kohli had decided to step down as the Bengaluru franchise’s skipper after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. However, there are those who believe that the talismanic batsman could return to lead the side after being relieved of leadership responsibilities across formats in the national team.
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Pressure had been mounting on Virat Kohli to deliver as the skipper of RCB, having failed to guide the team to a single IPL title over the years. The 33-year-old, hence, decided to announce his decision of relinquishing the responsibility even before the IPL 2021 season came to its conclusion.
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Kohli, earlier, had decided to quit India’s T20I captaincy too and was later removed as the team’s ODI skipper by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The entire saga continued as Kohli left Test captaincy too, making himself completely free of the responsibility.
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Considering the developments, many feel that Kohli could be convinced to take up the captaincy at RCB. With the Royal Challengers Bangalore deciding to release a video, teasing fans about their new captain who will be officially announced on March 12, many felt that it could be Kohli.
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A few experts, however, don’t feel a u-turn is possible for Virat. Daniel Vettori, former RCB coach, was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “No (on Virat Kohli returning as RCB captain). I think it is as simple as that. I don’t think that ever works, let alone in franchise cricket or international cricket. Once the captain is moved on, the right thing is for him to move on.”
What had Virat Kohli said on quitting RCB captaincy?
As the IPL 2021 returned to UAE for the second leg of the season, Kohli announced his decision to step down as skipper after the conclusion of the campaign. He cited workload as the primary reason behind this decision.
“I’ve spoken to the squad this evening before the second leg of the tournament starts, to inform everyone that this is going to be my last leg in the IPL as captain of RCB,” Kohli had said. “I spoke to the management this evening, something that was on my mind for a while, as I recently announced stepping down from T20 captaincy as well to manage my workload, which has been immense over the last so many years.
“I’ve made it clear to the management that I can’t think of being in any other team than RCB and that has been my commitment from day one,” Kohli said. “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,” he said.
Could Virat Kohli return as RCB skipper?
Be it the teaser released by RCB or the fact that Kohli’s workload on the international circuit has drastically reduced, it’s fair to say that there is a chance that the name of the Bengaluru franchise’s new skipper, on March 12, could indeed be Virat Kohli.
