Virat Kohli can captain RCB, claims R Ashwin
Former Indian captain and IPL star player Virat Kohli can be seen captaining Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming IPL 2025 season. This claim has been made by Team India’s experienced spinner R Ashwin. While discussing on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that this time RCB did not buy any player who could be made the franchise captain. In such a situation, Virat Kohli seems to be the most suitable candidate for this role.
Why did Ashwin predict Kohli’s captaincy?
R Ashwin said, “I think Virat Kohli will captain RCB next season. In the mega auction, the franchise selected the players very carefully, but there was no name that could handle the responsibility of captaincy. That’s why I don’t see any other option other than Virat.”
It is noteworthy that Virat Kohli had left the captaincy of RCB after 2021. South Africa’s Faf du Plessis was made the captain in his place. However, the option to retain Du Plessis in the team was not chosen this time in the mega auction.
AB de Villiers’ prediction also came true?
Before R Ashwin, former RCB batsman AB de Villiers had also said that Virat Kohli will lead the team in the upcoming season. De Villiers had said that Kohli has the ability to lead the team and the franchise cannot get a better option than him.
RCB’s auction strategy
In the mega auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, RCB laid emphasis on building a balanced team. The team added new players like Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Liam Livingston, and Jitesh Sharma. However, the right-to-match cards were not used for older players like Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, and Faf du Plessis.
Praising RCB’s auction strategy, Ashwin said, “He showed patience to maintain the balance of his team. While other teams were chasing big names, RCB chose players according to their needs. He bid thoughtfully and strengthened his team.”
RCB’s probable team
RCB’s squad for IPL 2025 includes Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingston, Rasikh Dar, Suyyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, and Jacob Bethel.
