Why Virat Kohli Was Not RCB Captain-Pressure Factor Unveiled

The frenzy was so massive among the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) supporters that the news dominated the apex on the announcement of Virat Kohli as captain of team IPL 2025's new season. But to everyone's astonishment, the franchise elevated pretty a less-known foreign player, Rajat Patidar, to team captainship. The move surprised most of the fans and all of them simply wondered why the move was made. Even a retired Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, has expressed views on this, citing the main reason that might have led RCB to make such a move—the pressure of leadership. RCB's Smart Move: Providing Virat Kohli Leadership Pressure Release

Sanjay Manjrekar, while appearing on Star Sports, hailed the RCB administration for doing what he felt was the right thing. He continued to illustrate that it would have been the choice of an idiot to give back the leadership of Virat Kohli as a captain because the greatest of the batsman had already called time on their international cricket days in the T20s.

"I felt that RCB took a very wise tactical decision. They did not wish to burden Virat Kohli with any extra captaincy burden. When the player is in nothing-to-lose situation, you know, you watched the TV serials, when the player is out of the race or crooning in his last round," Manjrekar added.

The decision underscores the fact that Kohli, despite his immense leadership experience, is now in a phase of his career where he can play with complete freedom, without the added expectations that come with being a captain. The franchise's choice to appoint Patidar also hints at their long-term vision of developing new leaders within the squad.

Kohli’s Leadership Without the Title

As much as all the fans hoped against hope that Kohli would come back as captain, RCB team director Mo Bobat explained why he chose him over Rajat Patidar. He admitted Kohli was a likely choice as a candidate for captaincy but swore the moustached batstar does not require the above leadership label to be in the club.

"Virat was in the running (for captaincy). I do know that the supporters would certainly have trailed behind Virat first. But my intuition about Virat would be Virat does not require a caption title to be on top," Bobat revealed at a media press briefing.

He has retained second nature to Kohli is captaincy, and although he is not the badge-wearing skipper, he will be a source of inspiration for the team too. His sense of maturity, his fire, and his inspirational skills to motivate his peers are still a blessing to RCB regardless of his official capacity.

A Good Season for Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Manjrekar also had a tip of the hat to the other nail-gnashing point of contention—witnessing the best of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the IPL 2025. Since both the players have retired not only from playing T20 international cricket but even captaincy, now both of them are able to dedicate all their energies towards batting alone and soak in without the added burdens.

"I have no doubt the best of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the last three-four years will be witnessed in this IPL. They are blue-chip Indian cricket players, assets of the game," Manjrekar opined further.

That is not an overstatement considering the reality that cricket giants leave their all-time best possible to do playing less to hold back others than their best run unit. While Kohli will get to specialize purely on batting, a section RCB fans would most definitely welcome with open arms, the added pressure of captaincy being considered as well.

Rajat Patidar-A New Chapter for RCB

Rajat Patidar being made the new RCB captain is an indication that the franchise is undergoing a transition. He is not one of the giant international cricketers but clearly his people feel he possesses leadership potential in him. He will need to cut out a niche for himself in amidst action and earn respect from the team but Kohli's guidance would surely be on the cards for him.

This RCB transaction is one of the franchise big league cricket today since franchises would like to offer youngsters or future ones a burden. It maintains the old cricketer in his own franchise and creates future captains. If Patidar is prepared, then it would be a career-defining and a franchise-desiring risk.

Final Thoughts-Balanced Approach to Success

While Kohli’s captaincy return would have been an emotional moment for RCB fans, the franchise’s decision to appoint Patidar while allowing Kohli to play freely might be the right formula for success. By relieving Kohli of leadership pressures, the team has ensured that he can focus solely on his batting—a factor that could prove to be game-changing in the upcoming IPL season.

Aside from that, his leadership and presence will also motivate the title-less team.

Since Rohit Sharma also belongs to the same time zone, the fans can expect a new personality of two of India's all-time best cricketers in IPL 2025. For RCB, the hiring can act as a starting point to be a part of a well-stacked and energetic team composition which does the most with people as well as out of being on a team.