IPL 2025: Official statement on Virat Kohli’s return as RCB captain dropped

The head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru Andy Flower has recently opened up on Virat Kohli's potential appointment as the team's captain for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League.

Flower claimed that the franchise hasn't yet taken a final decision on the team's captaincy. Kohli is one of the frontrunners to lead RCB for the IPL 2025 season. The star cricketer was, as expected, retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction.

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Will Virat Kohli become the next RCB captain? Andy Flower responds

While speaking to Sports Tak, Andy Flower revealed that Virat Kohli hasn't been approached for the captaincy yet. Flower called for the anticipation to continue in the new cycle with a potentially different team.

"Well, you're going to have to wait for the outcome. It's a new era that we are going into, start of a three-year cycle, and I'm sure the anticipation will be good for you. You can ask me as often as you like, but that communication has not happened yet," Flower said.

Virat Kohli has previously led RCB from 2013 to 2021. Under his leadership, RCB made it to the final once in 2016 where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kohli finished as the highest run-getter of that season with 973 runs, which is still a record for the most no. of runs scored in a season.

However, he left the captaincy after IPL 2021 to focus more on his batting as he was going through a difficult phase with the bat. He also gave away India's captaincy to Rohit Sharma during that period. Faf du Plessis led RCB from 2022 to 2024 in which the team made it to the playoffs on two occasions but couldn't make it to the final.

Other options to lead RCB

Alongside Virat Kohli, the other options to lead RCB are Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Phil Salt. Patidar and Krunal Pandya have previously led their respective state teams Madhya Pradesh and Baroda in domestic cricket.

Krunal Pandya has also led his previous franchise Lucknow Super Giants in the absence of the regular captain KL Rahul in the past. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has served as Sunrisers Hyderabad's vice-captain in the past and has also led the team for a few games.

Bhuvneshwar was also the captain of his state team Uttar Pradesh in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Phil Salt, who was signed by RCB this year for INR 11.50 crore, has also led England in the absence of Jos Buttler.

Virat Kohli's recent form

Virat Kohli is going through tough times recently. The 36-year-old had a torrid time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 where he scored 190 runs in nine innings at an average of just 23.75. He was constantly troubled by the balls moving away outside off stump.

However, Kohli's white-ball form hasn't been a cause of concern. He was the top run-getter of IPL 2024 with 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 156.70, helping his team qualify for the playoffs in a dramatic fashion.