Former England and Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Moeen Ali has revealed that the franchise nearly replaced Virat Kohli as captain back in 2019. In an interview with SportsTak, a sister channel of India Today, Moeen shared that Parthiv Patel was almost appointed skipper during Gary Kirsten’s tenure as head coach.
Moeen played for RCB from 2019 to 2020 before moving to Chennai Super Kings, where he experienced the most successful phase of his career. Kohli, one of RCB’s longest-serving captains, began leading the side in select matches from 2011 and officially took over from Daniel Vettori in 2013.
He continued in the role until 2021, when he stepped down to manage his workload.
“Yes, I think he was. I’m quite sure he was,” Moeen said when asked whether Parthiv Patel had been considered for the RCB captaincy.
“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 added.
“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.”
After guiding RCB to the IPL final in 2016, Virat Kohli struggled to recreate that success in the following seasons. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for three straight years, finishing at the bottom of the table in 2017 and 2019, and ending sixth in 2018.
Kohli Faced Criticism After RCB’s Dip, Revival Began In 2020 Under Katich
Despite Kohli’s strong batting, his captaincy drew criticism after RCB’s poor run post-2016. A turnaround began in 2020 under coach Katich, and after Kohli stepped down in 2021, Faf du Plessis brought stability. RCB finally won their maiden IPL title in 2025 under Rajat Patidar, with Kohli playing a key role both as mentor and top scorer with 657 runs.
Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel did not appear in the IPL after 2019. The former India wicketkeeper retired with 2,848 runs in 139 games and had won IPL titles with both Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Known for his sharp cricketing acumen, Parthiv took on the role of mentor for Gujarat Titans in 2025 and made an immediate impact.
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