IPL 2025 : Mohammad Kaif’s Unfiltered Take On Virat Kohli’s RCB Captaincy Ahead Of Marquee Tournament

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Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal are the three players likely to be retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Virat Kohli previously led RCB between 2013 and 2021, making him the third longest serving skipper in IPL history with 143 such appearances.

RCB will lose at least INR 36 crore for retaining two capped players and one uncapped player, and will have three right-to-match options at the mega auction, which they can use to buy back one uncapped Indian player and two capped players, or three capped players. October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their lists of retained players to the IPL.

The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players.

Virat Kohli to headline RCB retention policy ahead of IPL 2025

The retention list of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had just three names – Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal. But more than the retentions, the news that left the RCB fans delighted was Kohli’s return as the captain. Though the franchise is yet to confirm the development,  Virat Kohli’s retention, for INR 21 crore, seems to be an indication that the ace Indian batter will be back into the shoes he left in 2021.

Virat Kohli captained RCB from 2013 to 2021 before stepping down, but according to a report in The Times of India, the franchise is now looking to bring him back as 40-year-old Du Plessis approaches the end of his playing career. During Virat Kohli’s tenure, RCB reached the finals in 2016, though they fell short against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Under Du Plessis, the team made it to the playoffs twice in three seasons, with one sixth-place finish.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kept the speculations alive on Thursday as they remained tightlipped on the possibility of Virat Kohli returning as the captain of the franchise in the next IPL season. Amid the growing rumor that has left RCB fans excited, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif went unfiltered, reckoning that the decision by Kohli was down to him being inspired by Rohit Sharma’s captaincy run in the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Mohammad Kaif’s unfiltered take on RCB captaincy rumor ahead of IPL 2025

Virat Kohli led RCB between 2013 and 2021, making him the third longest serving skipper in IPL history with 143 such appearances, after MS Dhoni (226) and Rohit Sharma (158). RCB won 66 matches during that tenure, which also included a run to the final in 2016, where they had lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Speaking to Star Sports on Thursday, Kaif reminded that while it was Virat Kohli who had relinquished the captaincy role in 2021 after his inability to end the long-standing title drought for the franchise, he reckoned that his decision to take up the role could be down to him being inspired by Rohit’s leadership performance in the T20 World Cup earlier this summer.

“Kohli left the captaincy and asked the franchise to look for someone else, citing that he was playing well but unable to make the team a champion side. But now it could be the case where he is coming from a triumphant T20 World Cup campaign and inspired by Rohit Sharma. Because with age, you grow and get better.

So, if Virat Kohli has learned the art of winning trophies by spending time with Rohit and thinking that, ‘I have learned a few new things and will apply those to lead RCB to a title win,’ then why not,” Kaif said on Star Sports.

What did RCB say on Kohli rumor as skipper for IPL 2025

With RCB having released Faf du Plessis, who led the franchise in the last three seasons, the possibilities of Kohli’s return to leadership role grew stronger, but Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket for the franchise said that they are yet to decide on the role. He further said that Bengaluru, too, would be actively in search of a captain at the mega auction next month before making a final decision.

Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat opened up on the rationale of retaining Virat Kohli (INR 21 crore), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 crore), and Yash Dayal (INR 5 crore) ahead of IPL 2025.

“I am sorry to disappoint everybody listening. We have not made any decision related to captaincy or on that (Kohli returning as skipper) as yet. We are open to options. The only obvious decision we made was not to retain Faf. He did a great job last year and the year before that. So from our perspective, we will keep a very open mind when we head to the auction,” he told JioCinema.

While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights


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