Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) COO Suresh Menon stated that the franchise is still evaluating options before naming their next captain. The three-time finalists are searching for a new leader after parting ways with Faf du Plessis following the 2024 season.
RCB rebuilt their squad from scratch at the IPL 2025 mega-auction, retaining only Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal after the completion of the three-year cycle. Early reports suggest that Kohli, who captained RCB for nine seasons from 2013, could return to the role.
While he stepped down in 2021, he temporarily led the team when du Plessis played as an impact player due to injury. The squad includes several players with leadership experience, such as Rajat Patidar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, and Phil Salt.
In the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Patidar, Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar captained their respective teams, with Patidar leading Madhya Pradesh to the final before losing to Mumbai.
Livingstone and Salt have also stepped in as captains for their national team in Jos Buttler’s absence. Menon acknowledged that the newly formed squad has multiple leadership options, but a final decision on the captaincy is still pending.
“Currently we have not decided anything. We have multiple leaders in the team. 4-5 leaders are there. We have not deliberated what we need to do. We will deliberate, and we will come to a conclusion,” Menon said in an interview with Sports Today.
“People Thought We Weren’t Participating”- RCB COO on Auction Strategy
RCB entered the auction with a substantial budget, second only to Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, they were not aggressive in the early stages of bidding, avoiding marquee players and having a relatively quiet first day in Jeddah.
“If you see Day 1, it was low-key for us. People thought we were not participating in the auction, but at the end of Day 2, everybody, right from fans to experts, felt saying what we have done is the best because we have covered all the gaps, and I think we have got one of the best teams,” Menon added.
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