Former South Africa captain Ab de Villiers has backed his good friend Virat Kohli to become the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the upcoming Indian Premier League season. De Villiers feels RCB has no option other than Kohli as captain.

RCB is one of the few teams that is yet to announce its captain. They have one. Virat Kohli’s choice of role at the forefront. Apart from Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar can also lead the team.

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Ab de Villiers picks Virat Kohli as RCB captain

Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers supported Virat Kohli to become RCB captain in RCB 2025. DeVilliers claimed that Kohli is at the end of his career and will be determined to get his team on the basis of his performances.

De Villiers said: “Mujhe Lagta hai virat Hi ek Matr option Hai Doston (Friends) I think Virat Kohli is the only option (for RCB’s Captaii selection).”

He added: “He’s coming to the end of his career and is more inspired than ever. Until he gets the form and scores runs, we’re used to watching him play match-winning games.

Among all the options, Virat Kohli is leading the way and seems to have taken over the captaincy of RCB in the upcoming season. RCB’s team management also claimed that Kohli can take up the position but has not been officially appointed yet.

Virat Kohli’s record as RCB captain

If Virat Kohli becomes the captain of RCB, it will be his second stint in the role. The 36-year-old veteran has led RCB from 2013 to 2021. The team’s best performance was in 2016 when they reached the final but lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the summit clash.

Kohli ranks the most. The most captained players in IPL history, just behind MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. He led RCB with 143 matches, winning 66 matches and losing 70 matches. His winning percentage is 48.56.

Excellent IPL number for Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of IPL 2025 Mega Auction for INR 210 Crore. He has an excellent record in the IPL with 8004 runs at 38.66 and a strike rate of 131.97 in 252 games.

Currently, he is the highest in tournament history with 800 and 55 fifties. His best season was in 2016 when he amassed 973 runs in 16 games at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. During the season, Kohli hit four hundreds which is still a record.

Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers have had a great relationship with each other from the moment they played for RCB together. Both are the backbone of RCB’s batting line-up and are stitched together. An unforgettable partnership.