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Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle praised former Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Virat Kohli’s humility in accepting Rajat Patidar as the new captain of the franchise at the start of last year.
Before the 2025 season, RCB named Rajat Patidar their captain after failing to buy the previous incumbent, Faf du Plessis, back in the mega auction. Patidar was already the captain of Madhya Pradesh by that time.
Kohli was the captain of RCB between 2013 and 2021 before stepping down from the role, which prompted the franchise to rope in Faf du Plessis in 2022. The South African remained captain until 2024 before being let go.
RCB under Rajat Patidar
Captain Rajat Patidar joined forces with a think-tank consisting of Head Coach Andy Flower, Director of Cricket Mo Bobat, and batting coach/mentor Dinesh Karthik to bring instant success.
In 2025, RCB won their first-ever IPL trophy to end their 18-year wait for silverware. RCB’s engine room has continued from that momentum to once again make the final this year. Not just that, but Rajat Patidar also led RCB to the top of the points table in IPL 2026.
We’ve seen what happens when players are unhappy with the captain- Harsha Bhogle
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Harsha Bhogle appreciated Virat Kohli for accepting Patidar with open arms and even making the announcement himself.
In a video posted by RCB on social media, Virat Kohli announced Patidar as the captain of the team and urged all RCB fans to be supportive of the new announcement. du Plessis, too, had “officially” passed Patidar the baton.
Harsha Bhogle on Virat & Rajat 🗣️:
“Virat Kohli himself announcing and welcoming Rajat Patidar as the New RCB Captain was a big part because VIRAT was HAPPY with that. We’ve seen when senior players are unhappy with the new captain it destroys the whole team” 👀
(Cricbuzz) pic.twitter.com/mIqDkkTbPT
— The Cricket View (@TheCricketView) May 27, 2026
“Virat Kohli throwing his weight behind Patidar was a big part of RCB’s success,” Bhogle said. “We have seen what happens when players are unhappy with the captain. If Virat was unhappy with Patidar, it would have destroyed RCB.”
Harsha Bhogle on Virat & Rajat 🗣️:
“Virat Kohli himself announcing and welcoming Rajat Patidar as the New RCB Captain was a big part because VIRAT was HAPPY with that. We’ve seen when senior players are unhappy with the new captain it destroys the whole team” 👀
(Cricbuzz) pic.twitter.com/mIqDkkTbPT
— The Cricket View (@TheCricketView) May 27, 2026
Although he didn’t take any names, it is easy to conclude that Bhogle could have been referring to the Hardik Pandya fiasco at the Mumbai Indians.
After playing for the franchise as a player for eight years, Pandya left the Mumbai Indians to join the Gujarat Titans in 2022. In their first year as an IPL team, Pandya led GT to the IPL title. In 2023, Pandya and GT topped the points table and made it to the final. GT were winning the final until Ravindra Jadeja chased down 10 runs off the last 2 balls of the match.
Right before the 2024 season, Pandya was traded from GT to MI and replaced Rohit Sharma as MI skipper. Pandya was met by boos and jeers practically every time he walked out to the toss in IPL 2024.
There were no public endorsements for skipper Hardik Pandya by any senior MI players. In 2024, MI finished dead last on the points table. Pandya retained his job as captain and, in 2025, took the team from winning 1 out of 5 matches to making it as far as Qualifier 2.
In 2026, nothing of the sort materialised. The Mumbai Indians finished in IPL 2026, avoiding the wooden spoon by net run rate. Now, there is speculation that Pandya might lose the armband at MI.
Virat Kohli in IPL 2026
Despite not being the captain, Virat Kohli has been the rock that RCB have sculpted their batting around. Last year, he was the team’s highest run-scorer as they won their maiden IPL title.
And this year, he has continued that streak. With 600 runs in 15 matches, Virat Kohli is still RCB’s highest run-getter in IPL 2026. 2026 is also the fourth consecutive IPL season in which Kohli has crossed the 600-run barrier.
His runs have come at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 164. He has made 4 half centuries and one century already this year.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin admits he always wanted to play for RCB
