Even before the start of the mega auction for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the speculation grew if Virat Kohli would be returning to captain the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). But it wasn’t confirmed by then, as the expectation was to see the team going for a veteran to shoulder the captaincy of the side.
Being a mega auction, so many big Indian names, in the form of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant were available for purchasing, along with the franchise’s former leader, Faf du Plessis, but the members present in the auction decided to refuse shopping behind all of these players.
They bought 19 players in the two-day mega auction and their strategy seemed very clear, with no desperation being shown for a captaincy option as they were smart with their bids for the event. Is that the indication of Virat Kohli captaining the side again? The most expensive player in the ‘Play Bold’ army in the table was the Australian pacer, Josh Hazlewood, for a price of INR 12.50 crore, who was with them in the past.
The report claims high possibility of Virat Kohli returning as RCB captain
It wasn’t a surprise that their paddle lifting for both Pant and Rahul didn’t cross the INR 11 crore and INR 10.50 mark respectively. The former became the costliest buy in the history of the tournament for a price of INR 27 crore, while the Bengaluru boy moved to Delhi for a price of INR 14 crore.
One of the things to look forward to for the respective side is which leader they can choose under whom Virat Kohli will be comfortable to play. Faf was one of those options under whom the veteran has enjoyed his three years from 2022, while Kane Williamson would have been another. But then the franchise not going in any such direction, and the indication is Virat Kohli returning to handle the 22-member squad.
The bids for Pant and Rahul from the side weren’t firm which shows their potential thought process is building the core and not the leadership department. They didn’t even go for Shreyas Iyer, who eventually was signed by the Punjab Kings for a price of INR 26.75 crore.
RCB was aggressive for the opening bids of Pant and Rahul but once the barrier came to nearly INR 10 crore mark, they were happy to be the spectators with the teams like the Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings or the Punjab side were fighting among themselves.
Faf was even cheaper than what they were offering him for the previous three seasons (INR 7 crore) at INR 2 crore, they had no interest at all. At the moment, they don’t have a great leadership option apart from Virat Kohli. Rajat Patidar has led the Madhya Pradesh side but is raw to the stage, as is the case with the England wicket-keeper batter, Phil Salt.
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Virat Kohli has contributed so much to the team since the inaugural edition, having won the Orange Cap twice and currently standing as the leading run-getter of the tournament with 8004 runs in 244 innings at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of more than 130 with the help of eight centuries and 55 half-centuries.
The Delhi-born led the side from 2013-2021 when they reached the playoffs four times and were so close to winning the campaign in 2016 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kohli the captain has an unfinished job in the IPL and the 2025 season could be a golden opportunity.