New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) Star batter and former captain Virat Kohli joined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) squad on Saturday ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
In a video shared by the franchise on social media, Kohli can be seen posing in an RCB jersey with the caption reading, “The King is here and like always, he’s 2 steps (sometimes a LOT more) ahead of everyone.”
Kohli was in sublime touch during India’s title-winning campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai last week. Rohit Sharma-led side defeated New Zealand in the final to claim their third tournament title.
The 36-year-old amassed 218 runs from five matches at an average of 54.50. He scored a match-winning unbeaten century against arch-rivals Pakistan before scoring a crucial 84 against Australia in the semi-final.
For the IPL 2025 season, RCB have appointed Rajat Patidar as their skipper after revamping their squad in last year’s mega auction.
“Rajat, firstly, I want to congratulate you and wish you all the very best. The way you have grown in the franchise and the way you have performed, you have really made a place in the hearts of all the fans of RCB, all over India,” Kohli had said on Patidar’s appointment.
“They get excited to watch you play. So, this is very well deserved. Myself and the other team members will be right behind you, and you’ll have all our support.”
Patidar takes over from Faf du Plessis, who led RCB for the last few seasons but was not retained ahead of the 2025 auction. The 31-year-old batter’s rise in RCB’s ranks has been nothing short of remarkable.
After his breakthrough performance in the 2022 season – where he smashed a scintillating century in the playoffs – Patidar has evolved into a key figure for the franchise.
Kohli, who captained RCB for nearly a decade before stepping down in 2021, acknowledged the weight of responsibility that comes with the role but expressed confidence in Patidar’s leadership. Although this will be Patidar’s first time leading a team in the IPL, he has already captained Madhya Pradesh during the 2024-25 season in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (where they finished as runners-up) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. These tournaments marked his first full-time leadership role in domestic cricket.
Meanwhile, Kohli has been associated with RCB since the inception of IPL in 2008. He has also led the franchise in 140 matches before leaving the leadership role. In 252 matches, the batting stalwart has amassed 8,004 runs, including eight centuries and 55 fifties at an impressive average of 38.67.
The 36-year-old is the leading run-scorer in the IPL, way ahead of Shikhar Dhawan’s tally of 6,769 runs – the second player on the list. Despite having such a decorated IPL career, Kohli has never won a title in the 17 editions of the tournament so far. RCB finished as runners-up on three occasions in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
–IANS
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