Massive betrayal exposed! RCB lost faith in Virat Kohli in 2019, wanted MI star as captain

One of India's most charismatic players and part of the franchise with the largest fanbase, Virat Kohli has led the franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for years, though he could not manage to win an IPL title.

Former RCB star Moeen Ali has now made a massive revelation on Kohli's possible snub from the role of RCB skipper back in 2019, when they ended last in the points table. However, Kohli continued to be captain for the side till 2021.

Virat Kohli's record as a batsman in the IPL is unmatchable, as he has left his competitors behind by a huge margin and has piled record after record in IPL history. Kohli is also among the only players left in the IPL who have played all seasons for the same franchise, from the inaugural in 2008 to the last season of 2025.

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Moeen Ali drops captaincy snub bomb on Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bengaluru might have had several disappointing seasons, but they have also seen several successful seasons, like the 2016 or even the 2024 season, where they qualified for the playoffs from having less than a 5% chance of qualification.

Virat Kohli has always been said to be the architect of RCB's success, as the batter has been the backbone of the side throughout good as well as poor seasons. Above all, his spirit and dedication to the game, as well as his team, have inspired several modern-day cricketers.

Amid all this, former English and RCB all-rounder Moeen Ali has spoken about the franchise thinking of replacing Virat Kohli as captain in 2019. RCB ended last in the points table of IPL 2019, with just 5 wins.

He said that the former coach during that edition of the IPL team, Gary Kirsten, had called for a structural change in the team, and the franchise started considering wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel for a captaincy stint.

"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 what happened or why it didn't materialise, but I'm sure he was seriously considered for the role," said Ali in a recent interview with Sports Tak.

Virat led RCB till IPL 2021

Despite the poor performance from RCB in 2019, Virat Kohli was not replaced in a captaincy role; instead, Gary Kirsten was removed as coach after IPL 2019's disappointment.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson was roped in as the Director of Cricket, and former KKR coach Simon Katich took over the position of head coach. Under the new coaching setup, RCB qualified for the playoffs in IPL 2020, and then after Sanjay Bangar took over in 2021, they again made it to the playoffs.

Just before the playoffs in IPL 2021, Virat announced this would mark his last season as the RCB skipper. He also gave up India's T20I captaincy in 2021 after their humiliating exit from the group stages of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

He was replaced by Faf du Plessis as skipper of RCB and by Rohit Sharma as the Indian captain across all three formats of the game.

RCB won their maiden IPL title in 2025 under Rajat Patidar

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden title in the IPL after a long wait of 18 seasons. They had played several finals before under the captaincy of Anil Kumble and veteran Virat Kohli, but could not get their hands on the trophy.

After Faf was released, Rajat Patidar, the youngster from Madhya Pradesh, was surprisingly named the RCB skipper. With so many senior players on the side, Patidar seemed to be a weak choice by the management; however, he proved them right as he led RCB to something no great captain could.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first-ever IPL title in 2025, though they have faced some trouble after that due to the unwanted stampede caused during the victory celebrations, yet it doesn't cut short the joy of winning the maiden IPL trophy.

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