RCB Considered Removing Virat Kohli As Captain, Claims Ex-Star: "Be Ready"

Virat Kohli is synonymous with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. Time and again, Kohli has said that RCB is the only franchise he will play for in the IPL. Having been associated with the franchise since the inaugural season in 2008, Kohli has played many match-winning knocks for them and also captained the team from 2013 to 2021. However, he won his first IPL title with RCB under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar in 2025. Then, in 2026, RCB successfully defended the title.

While RCB has been unwavering in its support for Kohli, former wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel revealed that he was offered the captaincy before the 2019 IPL.

"Were you offered the RCB captaincy?" Aakash Chopra asked Patel.

"I have never talked about this, but Moeen Ali mentioned it in an interview. The fact is that I was told, 'Be ready, we are thinking about this for next year.' But the next year, the two people who offered it to me [Ashish Nehra and Gary Kirsten] were replaced, new coaches came in, and I didn't get to play a single match that entire season," said Parthiv during an interaction on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel.

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who was once part of RCB's squad, had earlier revealed that the franchise was looking to remove Kohli from the captaincy during IPL 2019 and was planning to promote wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel as the new skipper.

"Yes, I think he was. I'm quite sure he was. In the final year when Gary Kirsten was there, after the first year, I believe Parthiv was in line to become captain. He had a brilliant cricketing brain," Moeen said on Sports Tak.

"That was the talk at the time. I don't know what happened or why it didn't materialise, but I'm sure he was seriously considered for the role," he added.

However, Kohli remained RCB's skipper in 2019 and stayed in the role before stepping down after the 2021 season to manage his workload.

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