IPL 2022 | Can still be a leader within RCB, says Virat Kohli

03/27/2022

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Virat Kohli, who has stepped down as RCB skipper, has said that he can still be a leader within the team and drive it forward towards success in the IPL 2022. After handing over the baton to Faf du Plessis, Kohli will be without wearing the captain’s armband for RCB for the first time since 2012.

Virat Kohli may have stepped down as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper, but he believes that he “can still be a leader within the team and drive it forward towards success” in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 that kicked off on Saturday (March 26).

Ahead of IPL 2022, RCB team management has handed over the captaincy to A three-time winner under MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings Faf du Plessis after signing him for INR INR 7 crore at the 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru. As a result, Kohli will be taking the field without wearing the captain’s armband for RCB in their next match for the first time since 2012.

In an interview posted on the RCB website, Kohli said, “You can still be a leader within the team, drive the team forward towards success and winning trophies and titles, but I take a lot of pride in contributing for the team.”

“That for me is a very exciting space to be in because you are an individual who’s part of a team, whether you’re a captain or not, you’re still an individual who’s part of the team,” he added.

Further, Kohli mentioned that he is lucky enough to see RCB’s transition under former South Africa skipper du Plessis. “A lot of people see transitions happen when they are away from the system. I’m lucky enough to see it happen in front of my eyes, while I’m still part of the larger picture,” he explained.

Terming de Plessis as a ‘very able captain’, Kohli said he will be ready to help out the South African in whatever way he wants.

“I’ve been in touch with Faf for a long period of time now. We’ve actually connected and got along really well. He’s a very able captain, someone that I have a lot of respect for. “As an opposition captain, I always admired the way he (Du Plessis) went about things and the in the way he got his team to rally around him. That I think is the most important thing for any skipper,” he stated.

RCB will begin their IPL 2022 campaign under 37-year-old de Plessis against Punjab Kings on March 27 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai.