Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after IPL 2021

09/19/2021

Virat Kohli on Sunday announced he will step down as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain after the IPL 2021. In a video on the official twitter handle of RCB, Kohli said that he will continue to be part of the team as a player and he can never imagine playing for some other franchise.

After deciding to step down as India's T20I captain after the T20 World Cup 2021 on Thursday, Virat Kohli on Sunday announced that he will make way for a new skipper at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as well.

The statement from Kohli comes a day before RCB's first match in IPL 2021 second leg in the UAE versus Kolkata Knight Riders.

"This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me,” the RCB skipper said in a statement," Kohli said. The 32-year-old has again cited his "immense workload" the reason behind the decision.

Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after #IPL2021

“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me.”: Virat Kohli#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/QSIdCT8QQM
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 19, 2021

Virat Kohli was appointed as the RCB captain in 2013 and guided the team to the finals in the 2016 season. The team reached the play-offs stage in the IPL 2020 as well but failed to go the distance after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator. The star-studded franchise is yet to lay its hand on the coveted trophy. Overall, Kohli has so far led the team in 132 games - 60 wins, 65 losses, 3 tied and 4 no results.