As the cricketing fraternity awaited the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 retention lists to be announced, rumours of Virat Kohli returning as the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru also started to float. The chatter intensified as the RCB left out skipper Faf du Plessis from the retention list, strengthening fans’ believes that Kohli would re-take the team’s captaincy. However, RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat poured cold water on Kohli’s captaincy rumours, saying the franchise hasn’t made any decision on the matter yet.

Kohli left RCB captaincy after the 2021 season, paving the way for a new leader to emerge. The franchise handed over the responsibility to former South Africa captain, Du Plessis, who led the team for three seasons. But now, with Du Plesiss released from the squad, there remains a big question mark on the team’s captaincy in the 2025 season.

“I am sorry to disappoint everybody listening. We have not made any decision related to captaincy or on that (Kohli returning as skipper) as yet. We are open to options. The only obvious decision we made was not to retain Faf. He did a great job last year and the year before that. So from our perspective, we will keep a very open mind when we head to the auction,” Bobat told JioCinema after the IPL 2025 retentions were announced.

It has been reported that Kohli himself is quite keen on taking up the team’s captaincy once again, though no official confirmation has been made on the topic yet.

After the retention announcements, RCB coach Any Flower explained why the trio of Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal were retained ahead of the new season.

“We are thrilled to retain Yash Dayal, an extraordinary talent whose career is on an upward trajectory. His unique ability as a left-arm bowler, capable of swinging the ball in both directions, adds a valuable dimension to our bowling attack – one that is increasingly rare in the auction landscape,” he said.

“Rajat Patidar is a key member of our squad. His exceptional talent and resilience have already made a significant impact on our team, and he truly embodies the spirit of RCB. We are excited to see him continue to develop and shine in the upcoming season,” the Zimbabwe legend added.