Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retaining their talisman Virat Kohli is a no-brainer. The franchise's willingness to make him the highest-paid Indian in IPL at Rs 21 crore was surprising but not shocking, considering his brand value. But RCB not retaining Faf du Plessis raises a pertinent question: Will they name Kohli the skipper? Rajat Patidar (11 cr) and Yash Dayal (5 cr) are the only players retained by RCB.
Kohli will most likely be back as captain of RCB for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He had given up the armband before the 14th edition after leading RCB for eight seasons since 2013.
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Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket at RCB, and head coach Andy Flower have repeatedly stressed Kohli's leadership skills. Interestingly, Bobat said a fourth player they would have liked to retain was all-rounder Cameron Green, not du Plessis. However, the RCB management did not retain Australian Green as he was ruled out for the season with an injury. That could only mean 40-year-old du Plessis wasn't part of their plans, making it more or less clear that the skipper's hat could fall back into Kohli's hands.
"He was one of the leaders who propelled us into the playoffs. We will be looking at that sort of leadership from him again," Flower said in a video released by RCB along with the retention list. Kohli led RCB in 140 matches, winning 66.