The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will announce their captain for the next IPL 2022 season on March 12.
Virat Kohli, the team’s captain for the previous nine seasons, stood down at the end of last season.
There is a lot of speculation about who will captain the club in the next season. After the IPL 2022 super auction, which took place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13, several names emerged as front runners for the skipper’s position.
Here are three prospective captaincy options for the Royal Challengers Bangalore:
1. Faf du Plessis:
The former South African captain is the front-runner for the RCB captaincy. South Africa has won two WorldT20 tournaments under Faf Du Plessis’ leadership. Before being released before the auction, he was a Chennai Super Kings roster member. RCB signed Faf du Plessis for Rs 7 crore. He has played 100 IPL games and is a seasoned combatant. His extensive league experience and his understanding of captaincy from his time in South Africa make him a strong contender for the position.
2. Glenn Maxwell:
RCB paid a whopping Rs 14.25 crore for Australia’s explosive batsman Glenn Maxwell ahead of the 2021 season. Maxwell led the squad in runs scored with 513 at a 42.75 average last season. Maxwell formerly played for Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians before joining RCB. The right-handed batter leads the Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League. In February, Maxwell was named the Melbourne Stars’ BBL Player of the Decade. Maxwell, too, can lead RCB to victory.
3. Dinesh Karthik:
Dinesh Karthik was signed by RCB after the franchisee paid Rs 5.50 crore in the IPL Mega auction in 2022. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was the captain of KKR for two and a half seasons before stepping down in the middle of the 2020 season. The wicketkeeper hitter has represented Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Delhi Capitals, and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.
On the list of players with the most IPL caps, Karthik is tied for second with Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. Both players have appeared in 213 IPL games. Karthik’s extensive IPL experience with five clubs makes him an ideal contender to captain RCB this season. The Royal Challengers Bangalore are yet to win their first IPL title. Last year, the team finished third in the points standings and was eliminated after losing the eliminator to KKR. RCB has appeared in three IPL finals but has yet to win the championship. The new captain would be expected to lead Karnataka to a title victory.
