The 2025 IPL will be the 18th season of the tournament. It so happens that Virat Kohli’s shirt number is also 18. Just to add a bit more intrigue, Kohli could be back as Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s captain next year. Maybe the stars are perfectly aligning for Kohli to lead his team to their maiden IPL title?
Leaving aside astrology, the bigger question is what are the pros and cons of Kohli returning as the skipper. There are certainly some merits to Kohli again taking over the leadership role. One of the key strengths of Kohli is he c
an galvanise the side with his batting and sheer presence on the field. Not just that, the boisterous crowd at the Chinnaswamy is always in awe of Kohli. So, with Kohli back as the skipper, expect the fans to fervently support the franchise. After all, the fans are unofficially the 12th man of any side.
A peek into how Kohli lifts the spirits of RCB could be noticed during the last season. They lost seven of their first eight games before charting a miraculous comeback and made it into the Eliminator Phase. Obviously, Kohli was part of the senior group, which would have also comprised Faf du Plessis, the incumbent captain, and Andy Flower, the current head coach. Kohli also became the Orange Cap Holder, aggregating 741 runs at an average of around 62.
Around eight seasons ago, as the skipper of RCB, he had also powered the side to the final, only for the franchise to suffer a heartbreaking defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Even during that season, Kohli won the Orange Cap, having notched up 973 runs at an astonishing average of 81.08.
Unfortunately, RCB also have had to go through phases where they couldn’t stitch enough wins together. Over three seasons, they ended up eighth, sixth and eighth. In the subsequent two years, RCB showed some promise by reaching the playoffs. But every single time, it seemed as if there was a team better than them. RCB were also blamed for some questionable picks and releases, alongside a few tactical errors. One of them was releasing their leading wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal, after the 2021 season.
It so happened that during Kohli’s last game as the RCB captain, against Kolkata Knight Riders, in 2021, we witnessed a curious decision: Daniel Christian was given the 15th over ahead of Shahbaz Ahmed, the left-arm spinner. Granted that the match-up of a left-arm spinner going up against a left-handed batter – Sunil Narine – didn’t exactly suit Shahbaz. However, on a quintessential turning track in Sharjah, logic indicated that spin was a better option than taking a punt on Christian. The all-rounder was duly smacked for three sixes in a single over by Narine.
When Shakib Al Hasan jammed a yorker to steal a single and take KKR home, the cameras zoomed in on Kohli’s dejected face. In September that year, Kohli had announced that he was stepping down as RCB’s captain. So, at that moment, it looked like Kohli’s dream of hoisting the glittering silverware had been shattered. Time flies. Just over three years later, Kohli could very well take back the reins of captaincy. Maybe his dream is still burning bright.