Virat Kohli is set to step down from his role as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain at the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. Kohli, who will also step down from captaincy of the Indian team in T20Is after the ICC T20 World Cup, will continue to play for RCB in the IPL. However, his decision means RCB will now go in search of a new captain for the side. Now according to a News 18 report, there is a possibility that Virat Kohli could be removed as the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) mid-way through the ongoing UAE leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a former India cricketer has said.
Some cricketers even suggested that the team looked “unsettled" by the untimely announcement. One former India cricketer, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that it seems that Kohli might be removed “mid-way". “Look at the way he was playing against Kolkata Knight Riders. Just clueless! It seems he is struggling big time right now. There are chances that he could be removed mid-way through the season. It has happened earlier also with other teams — like with Dinesh Karthik in KKR and David Warner in Sunrisers Hyderabad, among others. They were either removed or they stepped down mid-way. So it can happen in RCB as well… I have this feeling one more bad game and you can see a change in RCB captaincy right away," said the former cricketer. Virat was appointed the skipper of RCB ahead of the 2013 IPL season as a successor to outgoing captain Daniel Vettori. Since then, the side has unsatisfactory won 62 of the 132 matches under him, to go with 66 losses and 4 no-results. Veteran South African batsman AB de Villiers is being touted as one of the favourites for the role. The 37-year-old star has represented RCB for a decade and has established himself as a firm fan favourite.
