The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) surprised fans by appointing Rajat Patidar as their captain for IPL 2025 instead of Virat Kohli. Many believed that Kohli, the franchise's most iconic player, would return as skipper after Faf du Plessis was released. However, RCB chose a different path.

Jitesh Sharma Reveals the Real Reason

According to RCB's wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma, Virat Kohli declined the captaincy offer himself. This led the franchise to hand over the leadership role to Rajat Patidar. Sharma expressed his full support for Patidar, stating, "Rajat has served RCB for years and deserves to be the captain. I have played a lot of cricket with him and will definitely assist him as a leader."

Jitesh Sharma’s Price Tag in IPL 2025

RCB secured Jitesh Sharma for a whopping ₹11 crore in the IPL mega auction. Initially, Punjab Kings also tried to retain him using the Right to Match (RTM) card, but RCB eventually won the bidding war.

Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from captaincy shows his focus on playing freely without the additional leadership pressure. Now, all eyes are on Rajat Patidar to see how he leads the team in IPL 2025.