The Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their long wait of adding the IPL trophy in the cabinet. The Rajat Patidar-led side defeated Punjab Kings in the final in the last edition. Virat Kohli stepped down after IPL 2023, with Faf du Plessis succeeding him. However, ahead of the mega auction, the franchise opted for a reset, releasing du Plessis and then appointing Rajat Patidar as captain.
RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat revealed that Kohli is always ready to step forward and lead. “Andy (Flower) and I met him (Kohli) in London not long after the 2024 season and talked about that (captaincy). He’s always ready to step forward and lead. He doesn’t need a second invitation,” Bobat said on the RCB podcast.
“But we spoke at that stage about how this decision is not just about us three as people. It’s about RCB more broadly as a franchise – its leadership, maybe even beyond us. We might not be here and Rajat might be continuing as captain. So, it’s a moment in time where we have to take that responsibility quite seriously,” he added.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺: 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗖𝗕’𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗣𝗟 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆. 🌟🏆
From bringing in Mo and Andy to making the bold long term call on captaincy, this is the story behind the reset that reshaped the franchise. ❤️🔥
The honest conversation with… pic.twitter.com/wpwf382mRG
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 3, 2026
Bobat further added that having Kohli back as the skipper would have been an easy route but the franchise needs to have a long-term plan.
Captain Patidar entering his #IPL2026 era! 🏏🔥
This is Emmvee presents RCB Shorts.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/FPebWC9mPa
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 2, 2026
“The easy thing would have been to say, ‘Virat, do you mind filling in and taking up the captaincy?’ But then you’re just kicking a decision down the road. At some point, we can’t be dependent on Virat all the time. Virat’s a bright guy. He got it really quickly. He said, ‘Let’s think about some of these other individuals. But if you need someone, then obviously I can do it,'” he said.
As per reports, RCB will begin their title defence on March 28. The schedule of the IPL 2026 season is yet to be announced.
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