RCB's Next Captain: Three Players Who Could Replace Faf du Plessis in IPL 2025

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has been one of the most popular franchises in the IPL since its inception in 2008. Despite boasting a lineup filled with world-class players, RCB has struggled to use their resources to better effect.

The Bengaluru-based franchise reached the finals three times (2009, 2011 and 2016) but fell short on each occasion, losing to Deccan Chargers (now-defunct), Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively. In the most recent season, RCB finished fourth on the points table, securing a spot in the playoffs but were knocked out by Rajasthan Royals.

They ended yet another campaign without a title. In 2022, Faf du Plessis was named RCB's captain. Under his leadership, the team made it to the playoffs by finishing fourth in that season. However, they were once again eliminated by Rajasthan Royals in the playoffs. In the following season, the team's performance dipped as they finished sixth before they failed to qualify for the playoffs.

With RCB looking for a fresh start this time around, it is highly likely that they may sack Faf du Plessis as captain or they might as well release him ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, such that they can get a new skipper to lead the team to its elusive first IPL title. Let's take a glance at the three potential candidates who could take up the captaincy role:

1. Rohit Sharma: The senior pro was stripped of his captaincy ahead of the IPL 2024 season and replaced by Hardik Pandya, a decision that created shockwaves among the MI fraternity. This might just open the door for Rohit Sharma to shift his base to RCB. Given his experience and success, he could bring a winning mentality and a missing puzzle that RCB has been missing.

If he parts ways with Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma could be a game-changing addition to RCB. Notably, he is one of the most successful captains in IPL history, having led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. It is also worth noting that Rohit Sharma has won six titles as a player, the most by an individual in the IPL history.

2. KL Rahul: There is a distinct possibility that KL Rahul could make a return to his former franchise. If released by Lucknow Super Giants, his return to RCB would be a homecoming of sorts, as he has strong ties with Bengaluru and the team as he represented the franchise from 2013 to 2016. Notably, he has grown significantly as a player and a leader since his previous stint with RCB.

Currently, he is the captain of LSG and under his tutelage, the franchise made it to the playoffs in the first two seasons before failing to qualify for the first time in IPL 2024 season, where they finished 7th on the table (7 wins, 7 defeats). LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka had an animated discussion with Rahul following the team's 10-wicket humiliating loss at the hands of SRH. This fueled speculations of him contemplating to part ways with the franchise ahead of the new season.

3. Virat Kohli: A potential return to captaincy post for Virat Kohli could also be on the cards, which also sounds interesting as well. King Kohli, who led RCB from 2011 to 2023, remains the heartbeat of the franchise. Under his leadership, RCB reached the finals in the 2016 IPL season, with Kohli delivering a phenomenal performance, scoring 973 runs, including four centuries and seven fifties.

Under his captaincy tenure, the team endured highs and lows. Nobody can predict the future but Kohli wouldn't say "No" to captaincy as he is in the late stages of his career. He recently retired from T20Is after India clinched the T20 World Cup 2024.