Virat Kohli broke the hearts of many Indian cricket fans when he announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday (May 12). He will next be seen on the field donning the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) jersey as the IPL 2025 restarts on May 17 (Saturday) with the match between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Now, there is a chance that Kohli can even captain RCB, with regular skipper Rajat Patidar not being available.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Rajat Patidar is set to miss the remainder of the IPL 2025 owing to a finger injury. The extent of his injury is such that he might also not be picked for the India A side for the tour to England. Hence, RCB would need someone to lead the side for the rest of the IPL 2025. Virat Kohli is an obvious choice, having been the longest-serving captain of the franchise. However, he might not lead the side.

In the game between RCB and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) that was supposed to be held on May 13, Rajat Patidar was already ruled out due to injury, and it was star wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma who was set to lead the franchise in his absence. Jitesh himself confirmed that this in a conversation on the RCB Diaries show on YouTube

"I was very grateful for the opportunity given to me. They were giving me an opportunity to captain RCB and it's a very big thing for me and my family. I was thinking of what the right combination would be because both Devdutt [Padikkal] and Rajat were not available, and it was a big responsibility to replace them," Jitesh said.

Apart from Rajat Patidar, RCB will also be without the services of Devdutt Padikkal and also of their star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for the remainder of the IPL 2025.

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