RCB wanted to axe Virat Kohli as captain in IPL 2019: Former England all-rounder

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and England all-rounder Moeen Ali made an interesting revelation that the franchise wanted to axe Virat Kohli as captain ahead of the IPL 2019 season.

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Notably, the World Cup-winning head coach, Gary Kirsten, was appointed as the head coach of the franchise for that particular season, replacing Daniel Vettori. Moeen asserted that Gary wanted Parthiv Patel, the keeper-batter, to lead the franchise in IPL 2019.

However, Moeen added that he wasn’t aware why Kohli wasn’t sacked, as he continued to be the captain of the franchise for two more seasons before stepping down after the conclusion of the IPL 2021 season.

"In the final year, when Gary Kirsten was there-after the first year, I believe Parthiv was in line to become captain. He had a brilliant cricketing brain. That was the talk at the time. I don't know what happened or why it didn't materialise, but I'm sure he was seriously considered for the role,” Moeen Ali told Sports Tak.

When Gary was appointed as the head coach of the RCB franchise in IPL 2019, he pointed out that there needed to be some structural changes that needed to be made after discussing them with the owners.

"There are some structural changes that need to be made that have maybe been around for quite a long time. This is my first year as the head coach, so I've got a better understanding of what those are. We'll certainly discuss with our owners and look into that for next year," Kirsten had said in May 2019.

RCB, led by Kohli, ended the IPL 2019 season with the wooden spoon, winning only five games and losing eight to settle for 11 points. Notably, RCB lifted its first-ever IPL title in the recently concluded IPL 2025 season under the leadership of Rajat Patidar.

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