In a shocking development ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, the current captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team Virat Kohli has announced that he will not be leading the franchise in the next season of the IPL. IPL 2022 will precede a mega-auction, and it seems the Royal Challengers Bangalore team management wants to make a squad with a new leader.
Since quite a few big names will be back in the auction pool for IPL 2022, it will not be a tough job for the Bangalore-based franchise to sign a new captain. But the question is who will be the next man to captain the Royal Challengers in the IPL. In this article today, we will have a look at the three potential candidates who can replace Virat Kohli.
1. AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers has been a member of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for a decade now. The South African star became a member of the team in the year 2011 and has been representing RCB in the IPL ever since. There is no player in the entire world like AB de Villiers. Interestingly, the former South African cricket team captain has never led an IPL team in his long IPL career. Perhaps, he could make his debut as captain in IPL 2022.
2. Devdutt Padikkal
A wildcard pick for the new captaincy role in the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad could be Devdutt Padikkal. Yes, he is young, but he can be groomed and backed to become a leader. Also, Virat Kohli has stated that he will retire as an RCB player. So, Padikkal will have the support of Kohli for at least 4-5 IPL seasons. If there is so much support, the youngster can become a long-term option for RCB.
3. Will RCB target Steve Smith at IPL 2022 Auction as captain?
Many fans would know that Royal Challengers Bangalore were one of the two teams to bid for former Australian captain Steve Smith at IPL Auction 2021. Delhi Capitals are unlikely to retain the Aussie ahead of the Mega Auction. So, there is a chance that Smith joins RCB and becomes the new skipper of the team.
