India, Feb. 13 -- The mystery is over. Rajat Patidar, and not Virat Kohli, is the captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for IPL 2025 and beyond. Despite speculations running rife that Kohli may return to captain the franchise again, the franchise opted for a fresher contender as the face of the franchise. Ever since RCB announced their three official retentions in November, the toss-up has always been between Kohli and Patidar. Kohli has led RCB with utmost dedication and zeal for 10 years, but ever since he stepped down, it was unlikely he would up the role again. And on Thursday, it was made official. Kohli as captain is now a thing of the past, and Patidar is the one to usher RCB into the future.

Kohli wished Patidar all the best...