IPL: 5 reasons why Virat Kohli should step down as RCB captain

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the most followed and loved franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team has always been blessed with some of the best cricketers in the world and every year they start as favourites only to fade away in the latter stages of the tournament. This year was no different as they yet again finished in the bottom half of the points table and attracted the ire of the fans. They choked in the must-win game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and were eventually kicked out of the tournament.

But the catch here is why it comes down to the must-win situation for such a high-profile and talented side in every season. In 2016, they reached the final of the tournament only on the back of Virat Kohli who had hit a purple patch scoring four centuries in a season and that too they qualified by winning four back-to-back games. Even this time around they kept on losing the matches early in the season and then found their groove when things were almost out of their hands.

Virat Kohli, as a captain of the franchise, has come under the scanner over the team’s lacklustre performances over the years and even the fans want him to step down now. Here we bring you the five reasons why he should consider resigning as the leader of the pack:

1. Poor retentions in the auction

RCB had an opportunity to retain some of their big stars in the mega-auction earlier this year. The captain always has his say in the retentions and it goes without saying that Kohli must have given his inputs to the franchise on whom he wanted in his team. They surprisingly let go of the likes of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul who eventually went on to win the games for their new team Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). There could’ve used the Right to Match (RTM) card for at least one of them but went against it and instead retained Sarfaraz Khan and Pawan Negi.

Both the players disappointed in the limited opportunities they got and were not even in the playing XI for most of the matches. While Negi featured only in a couple of matches, Sarfaraz, who was retained as the third player alongside Kohli and AB de Villiers, played 7 games with absolutely poor returns. The poor team management has been an issue for RCB which continued to haunt them.

2. Chopping and changing a lot

The settled team is always tipped to do well in a long tournament like IPL. This year Sunrisers Hyderabad hardly changed their playing XI throughout the league stages apart from injuries to key players. They eventually topped the points table and were the first team to qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand, Kohli was chopping and changing in every game and the team was never settled even after playing a handful of matches. It is important to back certain players so that reap rich rewards after a few matches but that was not the case in the RCB camp.

Sarfaraz Khan was retained by them in the auction and he was axed from the playing XI only after a couple of matches. Even Washington Sundar who has had an excellent start to his international career was under-bowled significantly and eventually dropped from the side. One of the highly rated bowlers, Tim Southee, was only included in the team in the second half of the season which points out the fact that Kohli failed to realise the importance of certain players. The Kiwi bowler proved to be one of the best bowlers for them by the end of the league stages.

3. Unable to lead from the front

Virat Kohli failed to lead from the front this season. He is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world but when it comes to RCB, he always needs to up his game considering that the team looks up to him. As a batsman, he was inconsistent throughout the season and failed to take his team through on most of the occasions. In hindsight, the tally of 530 runs in 14 matches at an average of over 48 and with 4 half-centuries look excellent. But if we analyse his performance, Kohli failed to step up when his team needed him most.

He played an irresponsible shot in the must-win encounter against the Royals and was the first to be dismissed during the steep run-chase. It is also possible that the extra responsibility might be taking a toll on him and stepping down from the helm must be the wise decision at the moment.

4. New captain will bring new ideas

Virat Kohli has been at the helm for the RCB since 2013 and the team has managed to sneak through to the playoffs only twice in 6 years. The lacklustre show every year despite having one of the strongest squads on the paper proves that somewhere something is wrong. The new face might just give them the much-needed push at the crunch situations during the tournament.

The new captain has always breathed life into a stagnant team and the best example is Delhi Daredevils (DD). Ever since Shreyas Iyer took over the mantle from Gautam Gambhir, the team performed exceptionally and eventually defeated the title favourites of CSK and kicked the defending champions out of the tournament in their last two league matches. Kohli has never been able to win the title for RCB and it is the right time for the new leader to take over in order to win the title for them.

5. No dearth of leadership options

RCB is blessed to have so many superstars in their squad and are more than capable to lead the team. Brendon McCullum and AB de Villiers have been one of the most successful captains for their respective nations. They also play an aggressive brand of cricket which will bring the best out of their players on the field. If they are handed over the responsibility, there is no reason why they will not be able to replicate the similar success for RCB.

In case, the franchise wants an Indian to lead the side, Parthiv Patel could be the best option given that he knows how to win the long tournaments. The left-hander has led Gujarat to a historic Ranji Trophy title which is an ample proof that the captain’s armband can be handed over to him as well.

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