Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif claimed that he was surprised Virat Kohli wasn’t named the new RCB captain. Ahead of IPL 2025, the trophy-less franchise named Rajat Patidar as their new skipper. Kaif said that he was taken aback by the decision because he thought that Kohli was effectively running RCB.
“Thought Virat Kohli will lead RCB”
In a video on his YouTube channel, Kaif opined that Kohli was behind RCB’s decision to make Patidar the new captain. He said that even though Virat wasn’t captain, it was his job to tell the team management which players to buy and back them. He further noted that despite not winning a single IPL trophy, RCB still stick with Kohli and explained that that how much RCB valued the star’s brand.
“I was a little surprised. I thought Virat Kohli would lead RCB, given they did not retain Faf du Plessis. I thought Kohli was effectively running RCB. Even if he is not the captain of the side, it is his job to tell the management to buy certain players and back them. So, if Patidar has become captain, Virat Kohli is behind it,” Kaif said.
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Further, Kaif echoed sentiments similar to Srikkanth as to why Kohli was not named captain. He said that Virat, who is 37-years-old, perhaps wanted to focus on his batting. He added that the former captain might have wanted a younger player to lead RCB in the future.
“Kohli is 37; he must have wanted to focus on his batting and wanted a young player to lead the side, keeping the franchise’s future in mind. But it will be difficult for Patidar,” he added.
