Daniel Vettori: De Villiers will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in Kohli's absence

Kohli sustained a shoulder injury in the third Test against Australia in Ranchi that forced him out of the decider in Dharamsala. The injury has ruled him out of the initial stages of the IPL that starts on April 5..

"The likely scenario is that AB de Villiers will take over the duties, but we’ll answer that once we find out if Virat is out," Vettori was quoted as saying by News18 CricketNext.

“He (Kohli) will come in on April 2. Between now and then, the BCCI doctors and physio will speak to us and our medical staff will get a clearer picture. Right now, we don’t have a clear picture on his availability. We will know in the next few days."

Kohli’s absence in the early stages in a big blow for RCB, as he was instrumental in leading them to the final last season. However, Vettori has backed the young batsmen in his side to come good saying, "Fortunately, we have a number of exceptional batsmen who haven’t got many playing chances, like Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh.

"It’s a huge asset for us that someone else can fill in those gaps. Sarfaraz has been really good. At the back end of the domestic season, he started to put some runs on the board. Everyone knows how talented he is. With possible injuries, he could get an opportunity early on in the tournament."

RCB take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening encounter on April 5 in Hyderabad.