Desk Report,
Kirsten wanted to remove Kohli from captaincy in IPL
Royal Challengers Bangalore planned to replace Virat Kohli with Parthiv Patel as captain. Former English all-rounder of Bangalore Moeen Ali has made such an explosive claim.
Kirsten wanted to remove Kohli from captaincy in IPL
He claims that when Bengaluru played under coach Gary Kirsten in 2019, the matter of bringing Parthiv into the leadership was almost final. Kohli has been the captain of Bengaluru since 2013. He remained in charge until 2021. That year, before the start of the IPL, he announced that he would no longer captain the IPL. Under him, Bengaluru became a brand in the world of cricket. However, he could not give his best in field performance. Despite playing in the final in 2016, he could not become the champion. Bengaluru has been eliminated from the group stage five times in 9 seasons under him. 2019 was also such a year. Bengaluru lost 8 of its 14 matches, finishing the tournament at the bottom of the points table.
It was in the middle of that season that coach Gary Kirsten wanted to remove Kohli from the captaincy. That news was revealed after so many days in an interview given by Moeen to India Today. He played for Bangalore in the 2019 and 2020 IPL seasons. In the interview, Moeen said, “I think Parthiv was going to be the captain. Gary Kirsten had a plan to make Parthiv the captain. His cricketing brain is great. That was the discussion at that time. I don’t know what happened later or why it didn’t materialize, but I am sure he was seriously considered.”
Parthiv Patel’s name may surprise many. But in Indian domestic cricket, he is a well-known name for his sharp cricketing brain. He is currently serving as the assistant coach of Gujarat Titans and as a consultant for Delhi Warriors in the Delhi Premier League. Former Bengaluru head coach Gary Kirsten hinted at some internal problems in the franchise in an interview in 2019. He said, ‘Some structural changes are needed, we will sit with the owners and discuss it for next year.’ Those ‘structural changes’ may also include discussions on the captaincy.
Faf du Plessis was the captain of Bengaluru since the 2022 season. Bengaluru did not retain him in 2025. As a result, the leadership burden fell on Rajat Patidar. Under his leadership, Bengaluru became the champion for the first time.
