IPL 2021: Sanjay Manjrekar names three players who can replace Virat Kohli as RCB skipper

Ever since Virat Kohli announced the ongoing IPL will be his last as RCB skipper, many are wondering who’ll lead the franchise in next season. RCB have AB de Villiers but you are not sure how long he’ll continue playing. There’s Devdutt Padikkal but he’s relatively inexperienced in leading sides. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has named three players who can be Kohli’s successor. Manjrekar feels Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav and David Warner are the three contenders RCB can look up to as the new skipper.

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"Pollard is one guy who has the leadership qualities. Suryakumar Yadav and David Warner are my three contenders," Manjrekar added.

Manjrekar's statement looks a bit optimistic given that both Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav are key members of the Mumbai Indians squad and it’s very unlikely that the five times IPL champions will let go the players. However, Warner could a reasonable choice. The southpaw was recently stripped of his leadership duties and it’s a probability that the franchise will not retain him for the next season.

RCB, meanwhile, has got off to a miserable start in the UAE leg of IPL, losing both the games they’ve played so far. After being shot out for 92 against KKR, RCB got off to a blazing start against CSK. However, a middle-order collapse meant they were restricted to a sub-par total of 156, which was not sufficient against a high flying CSK.

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In the post-match conference, Kohli lashed out at the bowlers for not showing enough intent. "The wicket did slow down a bit. But I feel we left out 15-20 runs out there. 175 would've been a winning total. Didn't bowl consistently. Didn't show that much courage I guess with the ball."

"They bowled well in the back end of the innings, executed the slower balls and yorkers nicely. We spoke of areas we didn't want them to hit and we didn't do that. That little bit of X-factor was missing in the first 5-6 overs," the 32-year-old said.

"Got to get on that winning run again. This one is a bit more disappointing. The first one we just weren't in the game. Have to show more courage in crunch moments. This tournament goes by quickly," he added.