Guwahati: Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday announced that Virat Kohli will step down as RCB captain after the end of Indian Premier League 2021 season.
“Hello everyone, the whole RCB family, the amazing fans of Bangalore and to all those who have supported us. I have an announcement to make,” Kohli said in a video uploaded on RCB’s official Twitter handle.
“I spoke to the management this evening, it was something that was in my mind for a while,” Kohli further added.
“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me,” Kohli said.
“I want to be able to be committed to the responsibilities that I am fulfiling and I felt I needed the space to be fresh, to regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward,” Kohli said.
“It’s been a great journey of nine years, with moments of joy and frustration, happiness and sadness,” he added.
Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after #IPL2021
“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I’ll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me.”: Virat Kohli#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/QSIdCT8QQM
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 19, 2021
Kohli has been with RCB since the inception of IPL in 2008. He was appointed captain in 2011, but has been unable to win the trophy for the franchise. Under him, RCB’s best show came in 2016 when the team reached the final, with Kohli leading from the front scoring 973 runs including four centuries. It is the most runs by any player in a single edition of the IPL.
Kohli revently also announced that he will step down as India’s T20 captain after T20 World Cup.
RCB, who are placed in the third position in IPL 2021 with five wins in seven games, will resume their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders in the UAE from Monday.
