IPL 2025: Three players who can captain RCB in upcoming season

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are looking for a skipper after letting go of their talismanic captain, Faf du Plessis, under whose captaincy they reached the playoffs in two of the three seasons. 

While there are many outside-the-box options, like Liam Livingstone and Krunal Pandya, there are three evident options for who could be the next skipper to help the franchise win their maiden IPL trophy:

Rajat Patidar

The moment RCB retained Rajat Patidar, and when he was named Madhya Pradesh’s skipper, the rumours started growing that he would also be named the skipper of the franchise. Since those rumour mills have started pumping content, Patidar showed his captaincy prowess, leading Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. 

Patidar’s batting record as a captain is impressive, with 542 runs @ 41.69 and SR of 164.7, with five fifties in 15 innings. His calm and composed demeanour could help RCB continue the legacy du Plessis left. 

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli’s credentials as a captain are out there in the open. The former RCB skipper has been one of the mainstays of the RCB setup for the longest time. The 36-year-old has captained RCB from 2013 to 2023, where RCB won 66 matches in 143 games, with a win record % of 46.15. 

Given that, he’s been the mainstay of the RCB setup, and with RCB letting go of Faf du Plessis, there’s a strong chance he could be named the captain. While RCB have lost more games (70) than they have won, that isn’t to say that Kohli was a bad captain. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One thing that RCB have lacked in recent years has been that experience factor. That’s exactly where Bhuvneshwar Kumar fits in like a glove, having been part of the IPL since its inception. The 34-year-old has picked up 310 wickets in the shortest format, averaging 24.9. 181 of those wickets have come at the IPL, where bowling has become increasingly difficult. 

In such circumstances, Bhuvi might be a very good fit. He also has experience captaining an IPL team, having captained Sunrisers Hyderabad over eight games, most recently in 2023, when he captained SRH against RR.