In a revelation that may shock almost all the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans, former all-rounder Moeen Ali has disclosed that Virat Kohli’s captaincy was nearly handed over to Parthiv Patel back in 2019. Speaking to Sports Tak, Moeen claimed that discussions within the camp during Gary Kirsten’s coaching stint had Parthiv seriously in contention for the leadership role.
Scrutiny against Kohli’s captaincy?
Kohli, who became full-time captain in 2013 after Daniel Vettori, was already one of the league’s biggest batting superstars but faced mounting scrutiny over his leadership. After taking RCB to the final in 2016, the franchise suffered a dramatic slide, finishing eighth in 2017, sixth in 2018, and bottom again in 2019. Moeen, who played for RCB from 2018 to 2020, revealed that the team management was considering a change amid the mounting pressure.
“Yes, I think he was. I’m quite sure he was,” Moeen said when asked about Parthiv’s candidacy. “In the final year when Gary Kirsten was there—after the first year, I believe—Parthiv was in line to become captain. He had a brilliant cricketing brain. That was the talk at the time. I don’t know why it didn’t materialise, but he was seriously considered.”
Despite the chatter, Kohli retained the captaincy and remained at the helm until 2021, eventually stepping down voluntarily to manage workload. It coincided with Kohli also relinquishing his international captaincy as well. His later years saw a turnaround as RCB reached the playoffs in 2020 under Simon Katich’s guidance, and Kohli continued to pile up runs with typical consistency.
Post-Kohli, Faf du Plessis took over in 2022, laying the groundwork for RCB’s long-awaited IPL glory. That dream was finally realized in 2025, when Rajat Patidar, mentored closely by Kohli, led the franchise to its maiden title. Kohli’s own contributions, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches, were instrumental in the triumph.
Virat Kohli captaincy record for RCB
| Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | %W | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2023 | 143 | 66 | 70 | 3 | 4 | 46.15 | 48.95 |
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