In the 17 editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to date, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are one of the most popular, hyped franchisees in the tournament, and yet they have been one of the unluckiest ones. RCB have been a part of every edition of the IPL since 2008, reached three finales, qualified for the play-offs in nine of the 17 editions, and still not won a trophy. The side had the biggest of the names cricket has ever seen: Rahul Dravid, Chris Gayle, AB de Villers, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, and many more. These names tried their hardest, some even led them to the closest possible position to the trophy, but none could help RCB earn a title. Royal Challengers Bengaluru Team in IPL 2025: Players Bought by RCB at Indian Premier League Mega Auction, Check Full Squad

To date, RCB had seven skippers: Rahul Dravid, Kevin Pieterson, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli, Shane Watson, and Faf du Plessis. Last Season Faf made a promising display with the bat, scoring over 400 runs, but that didn't help RCB get to the finale, and he was released ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions. The team has been majorly led by the poster boy of the team and also of Indian national cricket team. He managed to win every accolade of the cricketing world but not the cash-rich IPL. Virat left captaincy to concentrate on his batting, while Faf has signed for Delhi Capitals. That has left RCB officials with the dilemma of choosing their next skipper. Which Team Faf du Plessis is Part of in IPL 2025? Know Details About Which Franchise Ex-RCB Captain Will Play for in Indian Premier League Upcoming Season

Possible Contenders forĀ RCB Captaincy in IPL 2025

Like every season, RCB has made a squad with bigĀ names this time too. So, let's have a look at the possible contenders for the captaincy role:

  • Virat Kohli: He is the most eligible for the role. The legend has been a part of RCB since its inception. He has led the side for the longest time, in 143 matches. He has won 66 games as a captain with the side, with a win percentage of 46. He was also the leader of the 2016 side which reached the final.

  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The former Indian national cricket team pacer was an integral part of SRH since 2014, before only joining RCB for IPL 2025. He was the ace of SRH's 2016 IPL win, bagging the Purple cap. Interestingly, his first team in the league was RCB, for whom he played in 2009 & 2010. Given his previous stints as SRH skipper, RCB experience and record as an Indian Cricket Team bowler, he might be the ideal captain.

  • Rajat Patidar: He was one of the three retentions RCB made ahead of IPL 2025. Patidar can be considered someone the side believes in, and given his good record in IPL 2024 & IPL 2022, the franchise might bank on him.

  • Josh Hazlewood: The Aussie was swooped in for a whooping 12.5 crores INR. With this big price tag, he can also be speculated as the new skipper.

  • Phil Salt: The destructive keeper-batter was purchased for a heavy 11.5 crores INR in the auctions. If he continues to give the lethal display of his batting as he did for KKR last year, he will earn a fixed spot at the top. So relying on his batting caliber, he can be a choice.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 04, 2025 10:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).