RCB to name captain on March 12: This player is the frontrunner to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022

Mumbai, March 9: Royal Challengers Bangalore is expected to announce their new captain for IPL 2022 in an event on Saturday (March 12).

The Royal Challengers needed a new captain after Virat Kohli stepped away from the post past the IPL 2021. The RCB had reached the play-offs under Kohli last year but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator.

They have not won the IPL title in the past 14 seasons despite fielding some of the biggest stars like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Zaheer Khan etc. Their best effort has been three final appearances.

Always viewed as eternal bridesmaid, the Royal Challengers would like to change the image and script in the IPL 2022. And it starts with the appointment of a new captain who give them fresh ideas and direction.

So, who could be the new RCB captain come March 12? Let’s take a look at some candidates.

1 Faf du Plessis

The former South Africa captain is a good choice. He is 37 alright and does not offer a long term option. But Faf is an ideal candidate to give them a year or two at helm and make the charge for that elusive IPL title. His captaincy in the CPL 2021 too was praised by teammates and of course did a good job for the Proteas as well.

2 Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell had a strong season for RCB in the IPL 2021 and has emerged a lead figure in the captaincy talk of the team for IPL 2022. However, Maxwell does not have a real captaincy experience like others in this list, and is largely untested as a leader even in the Australian environment. So, will the RCB hand over leadership role to him or will they allow him to play freely as a batsman? However, it can also be said that a bit of added responsibility can at times bring the best out of a player like we had seen in Virat Kohli, who made a phenomenal leap as a batsman post assuming India’s captaincy. Maxwell is 33.

3 Dinesh Karthik

At 36, Karthik, like Faf, is not a long-term option at the hot seat. But he has enough experience leading an IPL side, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and knows the ebbs and flow of that role in a high pressure space like the IPL. Karthik remains a motivated, bubbly individual whose enthusiasm and knowledge of the game are second to none. So, the RCB might just dabble with Karthik at least for the IPL 2022 season as their skipper.

4 Virat Kohli

Can the RCB management talk Kohli into returning to a role that he wilfully abdicated last year? They really don’t have younger name like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant or Shreyas Iyer, who can groomed as a long-term leader. So can Kohli be persuaded for one more season? Of course he did not have any trophies to be shown after long stint at the helm. And will he be ready to take up the mantle and be involved in the heat? But you never know the ways in the IPL, aren’t you?