Fantasy Cricket

From Rahul Dravid to Rajat Patidar: Full List of All RCB Captains in IPL

by Prateek
February 13, 2025
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Indian batter Rajat Patidar was named the new captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on February 13, 2025, ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 season.

The 31-year-old replaces Faf du Plessis, who was released by RCB before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction and later signed by Delhi Capitals. Patidar becomes the eighth captain of the franchise and the fourth Indian to lead the team.

RCB has reached the IPL final three times (2009, 2011, 2016) but has yet to win a title. Over the years, the franchise has had multiple captains. Here’s a look at all of them.

1. Rahul Dravid (2008)

Rahul Dravid was RCB’s first-ever captain in the IPL. Under his leadership, RCB won only four out of 14 games and finished seventh in the points table. Due to the team’s poor performance, Dravid’s captaincy lasted just one season.

2. Kevin Pietersen (2009)

England’s Kevin Pietersen took over the captaincy in IPL 2009, but his tenure was short. He led the team in six matches, winning only two and losing four before stepping down midway through the season.

3. Anil Kumble (2009-2010)

Anil Kumble replaced Pietersen as captain in the middle of the 2009 season and made an instant impact. He led RCB to their first-ever IPL final, where they lost to Deccan Chargers.

Kumble continued as captain in IPL 2010, guiding the team to the semi-finals. He led RCB in 35 matches, winning 19 and losing 16.

4. Daniel Vettori (2011-2012)

New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori became RCB’s captain in IPL 2011 and led them to another final. However, RCB lost to Chennai Super Kings in the title clash.

Vettori continued as captain in IPL 2012, but RCB failed to reach the playoffs that season. His overall record as captain was 15 wins in 28 games.

5. Virat Kohli (2011-2021)

Virat Kohli took over RCB’s captaincy in IPL 2013 after leading a few matches in 2011 and 2012 when Vettori was unavailable. He remained the full-time captain for nine seasons.

Under Kohli’s leadership, RCB reached the IPL 2016 final, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight runs. Kohli also had a record-breaking season that year, scoring 973 runs, the most in a single IPL edition.

Overall, Kohli captained RCB in 143 matches, winning 66 and losing 70. He stepped down as captain after IPL 2021.

6. Shane Watson (2017 – Stand-in Captain)

Shane Watson led RCB in three matches during the 2017 IPL season when Kohli was injured. His brief captaincy stint saw one win and two losses.

7. Faf du Plessis (2022-2024)

South African batter Faf du Plessis was named RCB captain in IPL 2022 after being signed at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.

In his first season, he led RCB to the Qualifier 2 stage. However, in IPL 2023, RCB finished sixth, missing out on the playoffs. In IPL 2024, they reached the playoffs but lost the Eliminator to Rajasthan Royals.

Overall, Faf captained RCB in 42 matches, winning 21 games.

8. Rajat Patidar (2025 – Present)

Rajat Patidar has now taken over as RCB’s eighth captain for IPL 2025. He has been part of RCB since 2021 and has played 27 matches, scoring 799 runs at a strike rate of 159.

Patidar has previous captaincy experience with Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket. With his leadership, RCB will look for their first-ever IPL title in 2025.

Story First Published at www.probatsman.com on 13 February 2025