Virat Kohli is a household name now as much as that of Sachin Tendulkar. There is much more to cheer for the Delhi wonder boy as he is appointed as the new RCB skipper who will replace former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori at the helm of affairs.
Kohli will now lead the Vijay Mallya owned team for the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was made official on Wednesday.
It was Vettori who led Royal Challengers successfully in the last two seasons of the IPL brimming hopes of winning the cup, which got missed it by a whisker. The appointment of Kohli as the new skipper might bring in some luck for the franchise in allowing them to win the IPL season 6. Considering the fact that Chris Gayle is in amazing form, this should not be a problem for the RCB team to win as a whole.
“We are delighted to announce Virat as our captain. His hunger to learn, lead, motivate and set an example is unquestionable,” team owner Vijay Mallya said in a statement.
Kohli has been representing with Royal Challengers right from the inaugural season in 2008 as a U-19 player and his elevation to the captaincy was only a matter of time.
“Glad to be appointed Captain of RCB!,” Kohli said. “It’s a great feeling… Being drafted as a u-19 in 2008 and now to be considered to lead the side of great players, is a big honor… I thank the owners for reposing their faith and I am looking forward to the challenge and the responsibility to carry the Team to greater heights.”
Across five seasons in the IPL, Kohli has scored 1639 runs at an average of 28.25 with a strike-rate of 119.28. His 77 matches are the most appearances of any player for RCB and the third most appearances by a player in the IPL
RCB have moved to the finals of the IPL twice – in 2009 and 2011 – but have lost both times. They also reached the semi-finals in 2010, losing to Mumbai Indians before beating Deccan Chargers in the third-place game. In 2012, the team finished fifth in the table, just missing out on a place in the play-offs.
It has to be remembered that Kohli has been in amazing form since the past couple of years. IPL has transformed him into a bankable player to the core. It has to be remembered that the likes of this Delhi player has been met with sheer luck as well. His exploits in Australia too did much talking when other senior players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman failed to deliver.
As far as the chances of RCB this time around are considered, then the team has got a great potential of making it to the finals again with match winners like AB De Villiers and T Dilshan too maintaining their top form. There are hardly any situations during which the talented player missed out on performing to his caliber except for the forgettable England home series.
