Virat Kohli has announced to also give up captaincy of the Royal Challengers Bangalore after the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. The shocker comes two days after Virat Kohli announced to step down as the Indian captain in the T20 International format.
Thus the IPL 2021 and the ICC T20 World Cup next year will be Kohli’s last events in the T2o International format.
Midway through the IPL 2021 second leg opener between defending champions Mumbai Indians and last year’s other finalists Chennai Super Kings, the RCB management confirmed that this will be Kohli’s last IPL as their skipper. The Delhi boy will, however, continue to play for the RCB.
RCB today (Sunday) announced that Kohli has decided to step down from his role as the captain after the completion of VIVO IPL 2021. Kohli, one of the most decorated players of the franchise, will continue to be part of the RCB squad.
Prathmesh Mishra, Chairman, RCB said, “Virat Kohli is one of the finest cricketers, and has been a true asset to RCB. His impeccable work ethics and leadership skills has been phenomenal. We respect and support this decision and would like to thank Virat for his incredible contribution to the RCB leadership group. He has left an indelible mark on the franchise and will continue to be a seniormember of the team.”
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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, Captain, RCB said, “It has been a great and an inspiring journey, captaining a talented bunch of players in the RCB squad. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RCB management, coaches, support staff, players, and the entire RCB family, who have been instrumental in the growth of the franchise over the years. It wasn’t an easy decision but one that has been well thought of and in the best interest of this wonderful franchise. The RCB family remains close to my heart as we continue to strive to achieve excellence. As I have mentioned previously in many occasions, I will only play for RCB until my retirement from the game of cricket.”
The announcement comes at a time when the RCB were preparing for their first match of the IPL 2021 second leg. The Kohli-led Royals will be up against Kolkata Knight Riders at Abu Dhabi tomorrow in quest of their maiden IPL title. The star-studded RCB are yet to win an IPL crown. RCB after placed third in the IPL 2021 points table and poised well to enter the knock out phase.
But for an IPL trophy in the RCB cup board, Kohli has achieved all a captain would aspire for. He has the most runs and the most hundreds as an IPL captain, the most runs and centuries in an IPL season. He is also the only IPL captain to score more than one centuries in the cash-rich league and also the only captain to score a century batting first and batting second in the IPL.
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