Is it high time for Virat Kohli to return as captain of RCB?

Virat Kohli, one of the greatest batters in the world, has also been a great captain in his career. Ever since MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy baton to him, he flourished in all formats of the game. Apart from captaining the national side, Kohli also led the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The transition happened in the year 2013 when Daniel Vittori handed over the captaincy to young Kohli. Ever since he took over the position as RCB's captain, he became even more responsible. He led the side in 140 matches, where they won 66 and lost 70 matches. Under him, the team's performance went to another level, especially the batting part. 

Starting from 2013 to 2022, the RCB team's transformation was quite commendable which was quite surprising to the fans and the cricket experts. Virat transformed the batting, fitness and fielding aspect of the entire team. Known for his discipline, he motivated the youngsters to perform and give their best, eventually helping the team in the long run. In 2016, RCB also qualified for their second IPL finals. Unfortunately, they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) which was heartbreaking for the team and the fans as well. In that season Kohli scored 973 runs in 16 matches at an average of 81 including four centuries. Throughout the tournament, his strike rate was 152. 

Why should Virat Kohli lead RCB?

Surprisingly, he's the only player in the tournament who has played for only one team throughout his IPL career. Virat decided to stick to RCB even after they remained trophyless for years which becomes another reason why he should return as the captain of the team. He has always been hungry for runs and provided help to youngsters who were struggling and backed them as a captain. For instance, Mohammed Siraj is one of the best examples where Virat backed him as a player and now he has developed his identity with his gameplay. 

Even though Faf du Plessis is a great captain, Virat's confidence and captaincy skills were beyond appreciation. The ability to encourage players, and bring the best out of them are some of those qualities which should be inherent in a skipper and Virat Kohli has them all. Considering RCB's current performance, it's high time for him to take back the responsibility of the team in the next season. Maybe this time luck might favour them enough to finally win the trophy after 18 editions of the Indian Premier League.