After the Indian Premier League ( IPL ) 2025 mega auction in Saudi Arabia in November last year , a key question arose as to who would lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league. They had let go of former skipper Faf du Plessis and didn't really pick any leadership option during the auction.

There was speculation that Virat Kohli would once again take on the role of captain in an attempt to achieve IPL glory for the first time in 18 years. But to everyone's surprise, RCB announced Rajat Patidar as the captain of the franchise for the upcoming season.

The appointment of Rajat Patidar surprised many but some also felt that it was the beginning of a new era at RCB. Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who was signed by RCB during the IPL 2025 mega auction, revealed what could be the reason behind Virat Kohli not becoming the captain.

"I don't know why he didn't want to captain. I am not in the management field; when I join, I will let you know. But he has not been captaining for the last 2-3 years, so it felt he won't do it this year as well. So, I think Rajat was the best choice," Jitesh Sharma said on the CricXtasy podcast.

Virat Kohli, who was an important part of the RCB line-up, was appointed captain of RCB in 2013. He resigned from captaincy at the end of IPL 2021. The most special moment of Virat Kohli's captaincy came in 2016, when he led the team to the finals. However, RCB lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Surprisingly, RCB kept the appointment of Rajat Patidar as captain a secret even from the players, barring top players like Virat Kohli. Jitesh Sharma revealed that although he knew Rajat Patidar was in the fray, he only got to know about him through social media after the announcement.

Jitesh Sharma said- "I came to know about Rajat Patidar becoming the captain when everyone came to know. But when you are associated with the game for some time, you understand the flow of things. Virat Bhai did not want to captain the team."

RCB's IPL 2025 opener

RCB will begin their campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22. Last year, RCB made it to the playoffs but lost to Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator.