RCB to announce captain for IPL 2025 on February 13

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to announce their new captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), on Thursday, February 13. The announcement will take place in Bengaluru and will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network at 11:30 AM IST. 

RCB's leadership role became vacant after the franchise decided not to retain Faf du Plessis, who had captained the team from 2022 to 2024. Under his captaincy, RCB played 42 matches, winning 21 and losing the same number. However, the side is yet to lift their maiden title. Du Plessis was not retained ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, and RCB chose not to bid for him, leading to his acquisition by Delhi Capitals at his base price. 

The frontrunner for the captaincy is none other than Virat Kohli, who led RCB for nine seasons from 2013 to 2021 before stepping down. Kohli briefly captained the side again for three matches in IPL 2023. The star batter led the side in 143 matches, with 68 wins and 70 losses. While RCB never won an IPL title under him, Kohli’s form as a batter, including his historic 973-run season in 2016, makes him an asset. In IPL 2024, Kohli was again the leading run-scorer, scoring 741 runs at a strike rate of 154.69.

Rajat Patidar is another candidate for the role

However, there is uncertainty over whether Kohli would be willing to take the leadership role. If not the 36-year-old, another possible candidate is Rajat Patidar, who has been part of RCB since 2021 and was one of their three retained players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Patidar has domestic captaincy experience, having led Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy during the 2024-25 season. He also finished as the third-highest run-scorer with 428 runs at a strike rate of 186.08.

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Despite being one of the most followed franchises in the IPL, RCB remains without a championship title. Last season, they made a spectacular comeback with a seven-match winning streak to qualify for the playoffs, only to be eliminated by Rajasthan Royals. Apart from RCB, franchises like Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals are also yet to announce their captains for the upcoming season.