3 players who could replace Virat Kohli as RCB's captain next season
Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the perennial underperformers in the Indian Premier League. The IPL 2019 season has been no different as RCB have not managed to find a spot in the playoffs despite putting up a strong squad on paper.
While both of their batting stalwarts AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli managed to feature in the top 10 of the Orange Cap list, they didn't have nearly enough support from the rest of the batsmen. RCB suffered several humiliating losses throughout the season and never quite looked capable of challenging for a playoff spot.
Most cricket pundits are advocating a change in the RCB captaincy. Under Kohli, the team has not been able to win a title in the past eight seasons. Despite being one of the most successful captains ever for the Indian team, it has been a completely different story for Kohli in the IPL.
On that note, we take a look at the alternate captaincy options for RCB next season:
#3 Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali, the batting all-rounder from England, is one of the most seasoned campaigners in RCB's relatively young squad. Though he might have not had the best of starts to his IPL journey, his performances have gotten better with time.
Ali has successfully captained the likes of England U-19 at the 2006 U19 World Cup, Worcestershire in the County Cricket Championship and Worcestershire Rapids in the 2018 Vitality Blast campaign.
His exposure and experience at the international and county level make him one of the leading contenders to replace Kohli as RCB captain.
#2 Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel, the wicketkeeper-batsman from Gujarat, has been one of the lone bright spots for RCB in their dismal season. He has 373 runs to his name at an average of 26.64 and strike-rate of 139.17.
Patel is also one of the few players to have played for as many as six franchises. To add to that, he has been a part of a title-winning side twice, and that experience could come in handy if he is in a leadership position.
Having been a part of the international circuit for more than 17 years now, the 34-year-old Patel could easily take over the mantle from Kohli.
#1 AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers, the legendary South African batsman, might be the perfect choice to solve RCB's captaincy woes.
De Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket in the month of August last year and is currently plying his trade in various T20 leagues across the globe. As a result, he is fresh and free from national duties, and he could relish the challenge of being RCB's captain.
De Villiers shares a good rapport with most of the RCB players, and leading them won't be a difficult task for him. The 360-degree batsman led Proteas to great heights, and it won't be a surprise if he manages to turn the tide for RCB too.
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