In an announcement that shocked the cricket world once again, Virat Kohli revealed that he was going to step down as captain of his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore after the current season of the Indian Premier League. In a video message posted on RCB’s social media, Kohli seemed emotional and mentioned that workload management was the primary reason behind his decision to relinquish leadership. This decision comes merely a few days after he announced that he would step down as India’s T20 captain after the T20 World Cup this year.
“Spoke to the management this evening. It was something on my mind for a while. As I recently announced, (I’ll be) stepping down from T20 captaincy as well to manage my workload which has been immense over the last so many years.”
Kohli also stressed on the fact that RCB will have to undergo a transition and with the mega auction planned for next summer, there is no better time for a change of guard. He also made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t see himself playing for any other IPL franchise except Royal Challengers Bangalore and he wants to be with the side until he retires.
“I want to continue to remain committed to the responsibilities I am fulfilling and I felt I needed this space to refresh, regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward. And also understanding that RCB is going to go through a transitional phase with a big auction coming in next year. I made it clear to the management that (smiles) I can’t think of being in any other team than RCB and that’s been my commitment from day one,” Kohli added.
The 32-year-old took over the reins of the side in 2013. He has captained RCB in 132 matches, winning 62 matches and losing 66 times. His best moment as captain arrived in IPL 2016 when he led from the front and took them to the final after scoring 973 runs in 16 matches which included four centuries.
Meanwhile, RCB coach Mike Hesson showed his solidarity with Virat Kohli’s decision and expressed his gratitude while thanking the skipper on social media. Hesson also added that the RCB players will be motivated even further to give their best on the pitch and thank their outgoing captain with positive results.
“Have only been here a short time but I thank you @imVkohli for all you have done for @RCBTweets as a fully committed leader and team man, your energy and passion is infectious. I know the boys are fully committed to help send you out on a well deserved high skipper ?#PlayBold,” he tweeted.
