Star batsman and erstwhile Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli formally became a part of the franchise on Saturday ahead of the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
RCB posted a video on social media showing Kohli wearing the team jersey, with the caption stating, "The King is here and like always, he's 2 steps (sometimes a LOT more) ahead of everyone."
Kohli delivered a brilliant performance in India's victorious ICC Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai last week. Led by Rohit Sharma, the side won their third title by beating New Zealand in the final.
The 36-year-old batting master was in top gear during the tournament, scoring 218 runs in five games at 54.50 runs. His unbroken century against Pakistan turned out to be a winning knock, while his match-winning 84-run knock in the semi-final against Australia just reinforced his influence.
Prior to IPL 2025, RCB experienced drastic changes, with Rajat Patidar being made the new captain after a massive squad revamp in last year's mega auction.
"Rajat, congratulations, and all the very best. The way you have developed in the franchise and the way you have played, you have actually earned yourself a special place in the heart of all the RCB fans, all across India," Kohli said, inducting Patidar as the new captain.
"They look forward to seeing you play. So, this is so much deserved. I and the rest of the team will be there behind you, and you'll have all our support."
Patidar assumes the captaincy from Faf du Plessis, who captained RCB in recent years but was not retained before the 2025 auction. The 31-year-old has come a long way in the franchise, becoming an integral part of the team since his breakout IPL 2022 campaign, when he hit a sensational century in the playoffs.
Kohli, who had captained RCB for close to a decade before relinquishing the role in 2021, accepted the burden of the captaincy role but had confidence in Patidar to lead the team. Although this will be the first time Patidar has captained an IPL team, he has already received experience as a captain at Madhya Pradesh, guiding them through the 2024-25 domestic season in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (which they finished runners-up in) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
While that is the case, Kohli is still a pillar of RCB, having been part of the franchise since the inception of the IPL in 2008. He has led the team in 140 games before relinquishing the captaincy. In 252 games, he has scored 8,004 runs, with eight centuries and 55 half-centuries, averaging 38.67.
The 36-year-old is the all-time leading run-scorer in IPL history, surpassing the second spot held by Shikhar Dhawan, with 6,769 runs. Yet, even with his rich career, an IPL championship has evaded Kohli, with RCB being the runners-up thrice—2009, 2011, and 2016.
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