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IPL 2025: 3 Players who can captain Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) if not Virat Kohli

Here are three players who can captain Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025 if Virat Kohli does not take up the leadership role.

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Jack
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Krunal Pandya

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be looking to win their first IPL title this year. Over the years, they have managed to assemble a strong side, but during the middle phases of the tournament, they tend to go off track. To overcome this issue, they have tried to pick a strong middle order to recover from a top-order collapse, if any.

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There has been speculation that this time around, Virat Kohli will lead the side. This news was received with a lot of positivity from the fans. However, the RCB management will also be looking for other options if Virat Kohli opts to play as a batter only.

There are numerous options for RCB to pick their next skipper. With several names in the squad who will form the leadership group, let us look at three players who can captain Royal Challengers Bengaluru if Kohli opts out of the captaincy role:

1. Liam Livingstone

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Liam Livingstone is one of the most impactful batters in the shortest format of the game. The Englishman has been able to shift gears at will during the middle overs and has the ability to bowl crucial overs in the game.

For a player with a high level of versatility like Livingstone, he can be a perfect fit for captaincy if Kohli steps down. Livingstone has a plethora of T20 experience and can lead the side with all the knowledge he brings.

In 39 IPL games, Livingstone has batted with a strike rate of 162.46. Additionally, he has picked up 11 wickets in the tournament.

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2. Rajat Patidar

Another solid batter, Rajat Patidar has been one of the most prolific batters in the domestic circuit. In 75 T20 games, he has scored 2,463 runs with a healthy strike rate of 158.18. Apart from that, he has significant experience in the format.

During crunch games, he has been able to score runs with ease. This ability was on full display when he scored 112 runs off 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022 eliminator. Patidar’s calmness and game awareness have made him one of RCB’s key players. In just 27 games, he has accumulated 799 runs with a healthy average of 34.73.

Patidar can be a strong captaincy option as he is 31 years old and has been the backbone of RCB’s top order. It will be interesting to see how he fares if he is chosen as captain.

3. Krunal Pandya

RCB managed to sign Krunal Pandya as their top all-rounder. Pandya has the experience of 207 T20s and has picked up 145 wickets. He is one of the finest all-rounders in Indian cricket.

Talking about captaincy roles, Pandya captained the LSG side for a few games in KL Rahul’s absence. Being a complete package, Pandya will be crucial for RCB’s success in the upcoming season.

With his skills, Pandya can be a strong candidate for the captaincy role in the RCB side. Additionally, the presence of many experienced players will help him execute his plans effectively.

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