Virat Kohli to captain RCB in IPL 2026?: The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is scheduled to begin from March 28 and is set to run till May 31, 2026. However, ahead of the IPL, big news has been reported from the camp of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a possible change of captaincy. Rajat Patidar led the side to their maiden IPL title in 2025.
However, ahead of the new season, the RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, revealed that former India captain Virat Kohli remains the obvious choice of captaincy. But they decided to make a shift, prioritising long-term stability over a short-term solution. Virat Kohli stands alone as the only player to have represented one franchise since the IPL began in 2008.
Virat Kohli to lead RCB again?
Kohli became the captain of the team back in 2011 and captained the side in 143. Leading RCB to two finals in 2011 and 2016, respectively, however, failed to have a hand on the silverware as a captain. The former India captain stepped down from the captaincy in 2023, with Faf du Plessis taking over for just two seasons.
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Bobat, while speaking on the RCB podcast, said that he and head coach Andy Flower met with Virat in London soon after the 2024 season to discuss the captaincy role.
Bobat said, “Andy (Flower) and I met him (Kohli) in London not long after the 2024 season and talked about that (captaincy). He’s always ready to step forward and lead. He doesn’t need a second invitation.”
Here’s the video
“𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙡𝙙” 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆! ❤️🔥
To evolve it, RCB needed calmness, structure and a long term ‘Indian’ captain. That is where the decision to… pic.twitter.com/jP00IySj59
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 3, 2026
RCB have looked beyond Virat Kohli
“But we spoke at that stage about how this decision is not just about us three as people. It’s about RCB more broadly as a franchise – its leadership, maybe even beyond us. We might not be here, and Rajat might be continuing as captain. So, it’s a moment in time where we have to take that responsibility quite seriously.”
Bobat accepted that making Virat Kohli captain again would have been the easier option, but highlighted the need to move past reliance on the former captain. The management wanted a young captain who could lead the side just like Virat did at a young age of 23 in 2011.
The easy thing would have been to say- Mo Bobat
Bobat further added, “The easy thing would have been to say, ‘Virat, do you mind filling in and taking up the captaincy?’ But then you’re just kicking a decision down the road. At some point, we can’t be dependent on Virat all the time. Virat’s a bright guy. He got it really quickly. He said, ‘Let’s think about some of these other individuals. But if you need someone, then obviously I can do it.”
RCB is scheduled to play the opening game of the IPL. However, the fixture for the IPL has not officially been released, and thus, the opponent has also not been named. As per reports, RCB will be playing their home games in M Chinnaswamy Stadium, despite the stampede last year during the victory parade.
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