Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckoned that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) didn't want to put pressure on Virat Kohli by making him captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. After Faf du Plessis bid goodbye to the franchise, 36-year-old Kohli was one of the top contenders to become the captain along with Rajat Patidar.

But RCB preferred Patidar, who recently led Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy ,although his team lost.

"I thought RCB took a very good decision. They didn't want to put pressure on Virat Kohli by giving him the responsibility of captaincy. When someone is in the nothing-to-lose zone, you must have seen reality shows, when someone is out of the race or singing in his farewell round," Manjrekar was quoted as saying on Star Sports.

Kohli, Rohit big brands

Manjrekar said that Kohli along with Rohit Sharma would be at their very best in the upcoming edition of the tournament, which starts on Saturday, March 22 with the clash between RCB and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens.

"I think the best of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in recent times will be seen in this IPL. These two are big brands of Indian cricket, are together in this game," Manjrekar added.

Kohli is the all-time leading run-scorer in the history of the IPL, having racked up 8004 runs at an average of 38.66 with eight centuries and 55 fifties to show for his efforts.

Last season, Kohli scored 741 runs at an average of 61.75 , taking RCB through to the playoffs with seven wins on the trot in the league stage. But RCB crashed out of the tournament after losing to Rajasthan Royals (RR) by four wickets in the Eliminator.