Virat Kohli recently announced that he would vacate his role as RCB captain after IPL 2021.
Virat Kohli, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), stated that he discussed the idea of relinquishing captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his good friend and teammate AB de Villiers as early as 2019. Kohli stated that he wished to continue after Mike Hesson was appointed, prompting a structural change in the RCB’s management. The RCB skipper stated that all he wanted to do was create a peaceful environment during the IPL 2021 season, which prompted him to consider stepping down as captain.
Kohli announced last month that he would step down as RCB captain after the IPL 2021, just days after announcing that he would step down as India captain after the T20 World Cup. Kohli stated that he made the decision with his workload in mind and that he wanted to focus more on Tests and ODIs in the near future. Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the historic day when RCB faced table-toppers Delhi Capitals (DC) and defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) faced Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
“About this decision, I had spoken to AB in 2019. It’s not new. With the IPL, I was always in a space where I wanted to create a peaceful environment. We had this discussion and then I thought we will give it one more year. A restructuring of the management happened and things were much better in 2020. I felt a little more relaxed in that stage,” Kohli said.
For the second year in a row, Virat Kohli has led RCB to the play-offs. The former finalists who were eliminated in the eliminator last year are almost certain to finish third and face the eliminator again. Meanwhile, AB de Villiers stated that he has thoroughly enjoyed playing under Virat Kohli’s captaincy and would like to help his good friend finish his captaincy tenure on a high note by winning the IPL 2021 trophy.
“Virat Kohli has had an unbelievable run as captain. I am privileged to play under him. I have been a fan of him letting it go for the last few years purely because of the pressure he has taken on board over the years with the Indian team and the IPL,” de Villiers said.
“I felt that this could be an environment where he could have a little bit of fun. Sort of step away from Indian cricket and have a little bit of fun in the T20s in the IPL with all the friends and then go into the high-pressure environment with India in all the formats,” he added.
“That’s been the chat for the last couple of years. It’s got nothing to do with his ability as captain. We all know that, he has been unbelievable for us. He has always led from the front and made the best possible decisions for the team and I think he has had a fantastic run.I would absolutely love to put the cherry on the cake and finish the season with a trophy,” the South African batter concluded.