Virat Kohli's IPL Retirement Hinted By RCB Top Brass

Virat Kohli [Source: @NasroSalik/x]

Virat Kohli and the rest of the RCB franchise realized its near two-decade-long dream last year by lifting the IPL 2025 title, the men’s team’s first-ever silverware. Under the leadership of new captain Rajat Patidar, the team defeated fellow first-time title-chasers Punjab Kings in a hard-fought final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

Incidentally, Patidar was appointed as RCB captain after much introspection by the team management, as confirmed by director Mo Bobat himself in a recent podcast. Bobat also indirectly hinted out the possibility of a Virat Kohli retirement within the coming years, considering the Indian batting legend will head into IPL 2026 later this month at the age of 37.

Virat Kohli retirement hinted before IPL 2026

In a recent RCB podcast, team director Mo Bobat said that former captain Virat Kohli was considered to take up the leadership role after the conclusion of the IPL 2024 season. The director claimed that he and coach Andy Flower as well as Kohli met in London and discussed about the possibility of giving him back the captaincy reigns following the exit of previous skipper Faf du Plessis.

Also Read- “Shamelessly Added 3 Stars”- RCB Trolled Heavily For Recent Social Media Gaffe

He said, “Andy and I met him in London not long after the 2024 season and talked about that. He's always ready to step forward and lead. He doesn't need a second invitation.”

However, Mo Bobat admitted that making Virat Kohli captain once again would not have provided the franchise its long-term solution owing to the cricketer’s age.

Hinting out the possibility of his retirement within the next few years, Bobat added, “But we spoke about how this decision is not just about us three as people. It's about RCB more broadly as a franchise. Its leadership maybe even beyond us. The easy thing would have been to say, 'Virat, do you mind filling in and doing captaincy?' But then you're just kicking a decision down the road. At some point we can't be dependent on Virat all the time.”

The RCB director also praised Virat Kohli for considering “other individuals” for the top role, all while being ready to lead the team again if required. He said, “Virat's a bright guy. He got it really quickly. He said, 'Let's think about some of these other individuals. But if you need someone, then obviously I can do it'.”

Rajat Patidar became captain after “long and deep discussions”

Mo Bobat also admitted that Rajat Patidar was eventually chosen as captain after a thorough introspection. He said “We spent a lot of time thinking about that captaincy decision. I don't mind saying in my career there aren't that many decisions that I've thought about as long and as deeply as that one. And the thinking started in the season before.”

He added that even though Faf du Plessis was a seasoned campaigner, having an “Indian captain” was really important for the RCB franchise in an “Indian competition”.

Bobat said, “We felt like having an Indian captain was really important. It's an Indian competition, so having an Indian captain I think is really important.”

Patidar, Kohli and co. gear up for IPL 2026

Captain Rajat Patidar, franchise zealot Virat Kohli as well as the rest of their RCB colleagues are now gearing up for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Set to enter the showpiece event with a tag of “defending champions”, the franchise made several retentions and acquisitions late last year.

Apart from Patidar and Kohli, the team management retained Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood among several others. On the day of the IPL 2026 auction in December, the franchise roped in England’s Jordan Cox, India U19 star Vicky Ostwal and Vihaan Malhotra. Here is a look at the entire RCB squad for IPL 2026:

RCB squad for IPL 2026:

Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Satvik Deswal, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Kanishk Chouhan and Vihaan Malhotra.

As per a tentative schedule, the IPL 2026 season is slated to commence sometime between March 26 and March 28 later this month. The BCCI is expected to unveil the entire schedule within the coming days.

Also Read- Chinnaswamy Stadium To Host IPL 2026 Final; 5 RCB Home Matches Confirmed In Bengaluru