Image: AB de Villiers confirmed that Virat Kohli will likely be the captain of RCB for IPL / © Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Ahead of the IPL 2025, AB de Villiers has confirmed Virat Kohli as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain, even before the franchise’s official announcement. De Villiers, a close friend of Kohli, believes that RCB has no other viable option for the leadership role. Kohli, nearing the end of his career, is seen as highly motivated and capable of leading the team to a title, with his match-winning performances in mind. On this, De Villiers said:
Mujhe lagta hai Virat hi ek matr option hai doston (Friends, I think Virat Kohli is the only option (for RCB’s captaincy choice). He is near the end of his career, more inspired than ever before. Till the time he gets the form and score runs, we are used to watching him play match-winning innings. It’s like a swansong.
RCB is one of the few IPL teams yet to announce their captain, with Kohli being the frontrunner. Other contenders include Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kohli previously captained RCB from 2013 to 2021, with the team’s best performance coming in 2016, where they finished runners-up. His record includes leading RCB in 143 matches, winning 66 and losing 70, with a win percentage of 48.56%.
Kohli was retained by RCB for INR 21 crore ahead of the 2025 auction. He holds the record for the most runs in IPL history, with 8004 runs from 252 matches, including 8 centuries and 55 fifties. Kohli’s iconic 2016 season, where he scored 973 runs with a record four hundred, remains a standout in IPL history.