Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami. Photo-IPL
Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami. Photo-IPL

If reports are to be believed, Virat Kohli’s hopes of captaining RCB (Royal Challenges Bengaluru) have been dashed. Apart from this, KL Rahul might be targetted by Mumbai Indians for the dual role of keeper and opener for IPL 2025.

On the other hand, Gujarat Titans are reportedly focusing on the pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik in the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Virat Kohli won’t captain RCB

Virat Kohli was retained by the RCB franchise ahead of the IPL 2205 mega auction along with Yash Dayal and Rajat Patidar. Soon after, Kohli showed aspirations to captain the franchise one more, after leading them from 2013-2021.

The 40-year-old Faf du Plessis, who captained the RCB team from 2022 to 2024, was let go by the team and is unlikely to be named captain again because of his age.

During the massive auction, the Royal Challengers must choose their captain. Although the squad made it to the playoffs four times under the 36-year-old cricketer’s leadership from 2013 to 2021, the team did not win the event. In 2021, Kohli resigned as skipper and departed his position as captain of India’s Twenty20 International team.

Sportswriter Rohit Juglan, however, made a suggestion that Kohli is not likely to captain Royal Challengers Bengaluru again in the 2025 Indian Premier League.

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma to open for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025?

Rohit Juglan also reported that Mumbai Indians are eyeing PBKS and LSG captain KL Rahul in the IPL 2025 auction. MI is interested in Rahul as he gives them a combo of opener and wicketkeeper. MI have released their only wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan ahead of the IPL auction.

KL For the 2025 IPL season, Rahul was left off the Lucknow Super Giants’ retention list. He will therefore be among the select few high-profile athletes who are expected to fetch a high price in the next auctions.

Rahul could be a perfect player for Mumbai Indians given his versatility to bat at any position in the batting order. While he has opened the batting for most of his IPL career, Rahul has also shown his class in the middle order.

Rahul has amassed 4683 runs at a remarkable average of 45.47 and a strike rate of 134.61 in 132 games thus far. In his IPL career, he has hit 37 fifties and four hundreds. To date, he has represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, and Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.

Gujarat Titans (GT) set eyes on Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik to add fire to their pace attack

As per RevSportz report, IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans are eyeing the pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Shami was part of the GT franchise in IPL 2022 and IPL 2023, but missed the IPL 2024 due to injury and was not retained by the team.

Umran Malik, on the other hand, was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, after his stocks tanked due to erratic line and length and got only one match in IPL 2024.

The Gujarat Titans, who didn’t have a single fast bowler left before the IPL 2025 auction, are desperately looking for a new pace unit. Mohit Sharma, Spencer Johnson, Umesh Yadav, Shami, and others were on the team. GT is now in charge of locating a new group of pacers.

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