Virat Kohli experienced his first major leadership role when he was appointed full-time captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (formerly Royal Challengers Bangalore) before the 2013 Indian Premier League season (IPL). By that time, he had five years of experience and was seen as the natural successor to Daniel Vettori.
Kohli had previously captained the team on several occasions during Vettori’s absence. His leadership skills were developed early on when he led India to victory in the U-19 World Cup in 2008.
After failing to make the playoffs in the 2012 season due to a lower net run rate than the Chennai Super Kings, RCB faced a significant challenge to strengthen their squad through the auction. The captain plays a crucial role in this process, selecting suitable candidates through communication with the management.
In the auction before the 2013 season, RCB signed seven players, all of whom were either pacers or seam bowling all-rounders. Their priciest signing was left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat. They also successfully bid for RP TheSingh, Moises Henriques, and Ravi Rampaul. Additionally, they signed Pankaj Singh, Daniel Christian, and Christopher Barnwell.
“In Bangalore, if the wicket’s nice and fresh, the ball does seam around. Last year we were not to our 100% because of injuries to bowlers – we had to persist with a set of bowlers that did not probably work for us. So, this year, I insisted that we pick a lot of bowling options,” Kohli said ahead of RCB’s clash against MI in IPL 2013.
“With Indian bowlers, if you don’t have the regular guys doing well, then you always have six or seven fresh options who can come into the side and are confident,” he added.
RCB has consistently faced challenges in strengthening their pace department. As three-time finalists, they have frequently struggled to achieve the right balance, and this issue continues to persist.
Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, RCB finished in fifth place in IPL 2013
Kohli’s tenure as RCB captain began with a two-run victory over the Mumbai Indians at home. The team started the season strongly, winning three of their first four matches, with their only loss to SunRisers Hyderabad occurring in a Super Over.
However, they narrowly missed the playoffs again, finishing fifth with 18 points from 16 matches. New signings Ravi Rampaul, Jaydev Unadkat, and RP Singh each took 13 wickets.
Kohli continued as RCB captain until 2021, leading the team to the finals in the 2016 season as well.
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