Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made a surprise announcement on Thursday (February 13) as they revealed that Rajat Patidar was named as the captain of the franchise for the 2025 season despite the expectation that Virat Kohli will return to lead the Bengaluru-based outfit.

After the three-time runner-ups decided against retaining or buying Faf du Plessis, they were left in a search for a new captain. RCB did not go after a proven captaincy option in the mega auction despite the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul being up for grabs and them having the second biggest purse. This left many to assume that Kohli will take over the top job for a second stint.

However, Patidar was announced as the new captain after becoming the pillar of RCB's batting unit after joining them in 2021. The 31-year-old was retained by the franchise for a whopping Rs. 11 crore alongside Virat Kohli (Rs. 21 crore), and Yash Dayal (Rs. 5 crore).

RCB team director Mo Bobat revealed that Kohli was an option they considered but the Indian cricket legend does not the captaincy title to be a leader in the team. Bobat reserved special praise for Kohli's batting display last season and claimed he sets the tone with his energy on the field.

"Of course, Virat was an option. That goes without saying, and I know that the fans would have probably lent towards Virat in the first instance, but we have seen a lot of love for Rajat too... Virat doesn't need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we've all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless. For us, even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat. The volume of runs, and the strike rate that he scored last year was so impressive and so important for us," Bobat said in a special event in Benglauru.

"He sets the tone. He leads on the field. I can think of two or three specific instances where he's actually created runout chances and wickets from nothing. Everyone in the field knows that they've got to be up to the standards because of him. He sets the tone with his energy often. Everyone's seen how much he likes to fight and a scrap and how much he wants to be the person getting us over the line. And then also the things that people don't see as much is his professionalism, the way he practices, the way he trains, his gym routines, his lifestyle, his nutrition, he's an example.So, look, I think everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat's a leader in every sense of the word," Bobat added.

RCB head coach Andy Flower hailed Kohli for his integrity and maturity in the discussion with the franchise around the big decision.

"In our discussions with Virat, I thought the integrity and maturity that he showed over the subject were of the highest calibre. One of the things that stood out was the energy and enthusiasm he has for the upcoming season. You saw in the video earlier the authenticity with which he spoke. He was a huge part of turning the season around (IPL 2024) for us. That experience with him last season only made my respect for him grow. I have got only good things to say about him," Flower added.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Cricket, Sports and around the world.