RCB might reinstate Virat Kohli as captain next year: Ravi Ashwin

Cricket fans all over the world must have marked their calendars as the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to get underway on March 26. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are one of the teams to watch out for in the competition as they continue their hunt for the elusive trophy. For a change, Faf du Plessis will lead RCB this season with Virat Kohli stepping down as skipper following the conclusion of the last season.

Du Plessis, who had been a vital cog of CSK’s line-up for a decade, was purchased for a whooping sum of INR 7 crore in the mega auction. As he was impressive during his tenure as South African captain, expectations are also pretty high from him. However, the fact is that the Proteas batter is 37 and hence, many reckon he won’t be RCB’s long-term captain.

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who’ll represent Rajasthan Royals this season, is also of the same opinion. While he termed Du Plessis’ appointment as RCB skipper a good decision, he reckons Kohli might be reinstated as captain from the next season onwards.

Virat Kohli has undergone a lot of stress as a captain in the last few years: Ravi Ashwin

“Faf is more like towards the end of his IPL career. Maybe, he has two-three years left with him. And they have made him the captain, which is quite a good decision. He brings in a lot of experience and in fact, he has himself said that we can see a bit of MS Dhoni’s touch in his captaincy skills,” said Ashwin on his official YouTube channel.

“I feel that since Virat Kohli has undergone a lot of stress as a captain in the last few years, this year will be like a break for him and they might appoint him as a captain next year is my guess,” he added. Notably, Kohli had been RCB’s full-time skipper since the 2013 season.

In this period, the right-handed batter piled up a mountain of runs but couldn’t take his side to glory even once. With the captaincy pressure laid off from his back, it will be interesting to see how he performs this season.