RCB team director Mo Bobat has opened up on Rajat Patidar’s captaincy appointment saying that Virat Kohli will continue to play a vital role by offering his experience and guidance to the team without needing the captain role.
With Many fans and former cricketers expecting Virat Kohli to reclaim the leadership role after RCB decided not to retain Faf du Plessis, the franchise has opted for the 31-year-old batter to take over the reins.
While speaking about the announcement, RCB director Mo Bobat said, “Of course, Virat was an option. That goes without saying, and I know that the fans would have probably lent towards Virat in the first instance, but we have seen a lot of love for Rajat too…”
“Virat doesn’t need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we’ve all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless.”
🚨 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿 – 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 🚨
The journey of self-belief. That blessed feeling. This opportunity. Hear all about it from the Man of the Hour, the calm, the balanced, and extremely likeable,… pic.twitter.com/6L5OdbmUDR
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 13, 2025
“For us, even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat. The volume of runs, and the strike rate that he scored last year was so impressive and so important for us,” Mo Bobat said.
“He sets the tone. He leads on the field. I can think of two or three specific instances where he’s actually created runout chances and wickets from nothing. Everyone in the field knows that they’ve got to be up to the standards because of him.”
“He sets the tone with his energy often. Everyone’s seen how much he likes to fight and a scrap and how much he wants to be the person getting us over the line.”
“And then also the things that people don’t see as much is his professionalism, the way he practices, the way he trains, his gym routines, his lifestyle, his nutrition, he’s an example.”
“So, look, I think everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat’s a leader in every sense of the word,” Mo Bobat added.
On the other hand, RCB’s head coach Andy Flower opened on Virat Kohli’s reaction, revealing that the start batter was highly professional and supportive when informed about Rajat Patidar’s appointment as RCB captain.
“In our discussions with Virat, I thought the integrity and maturity that he showed over the subject were of the highest calibre. One of the things that stood out was the energy and enthusiasm he has for the upcoming season.”
“You saw in the video earlier the authenticity with which he spoke. He was a huge part of turning the season around (IPL 2024) for us. That experience with him last season only made my respect for him grow. I have got only good things to say about him,” Flower said.
Virat Kohli has captained RCB for nine seasons from 2013 to 2021 before stepping down from the role along with decision to relinquish India’s T20I and ODI captaincy.
With Patidar taking over the reins, he beocmes the fourth Indian and eight player to captain RCB in the Indian Premier League.
