Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will need a new captain for the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ahead of the UAE leg of the IPL 2021 in September, Virat Kohli had announced that he would be stepping down from the captaincy after leading the side for eight straight seasons. RCB have retained Kohli (INR 15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (INR 11 crore), and Mohammed Siraj (INR 6 crore) ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction in January. They will be heading into the auction with a purse of INR 57 crore.
However, the question remains as to who will lead RCB in the upcoming season.
Former RCB player and coach Daniel Vettori feels Australia all-rounder Maxwell is the likely heir to Kohli. Maxwell had a breakthrough first season with RCB in IPL 2021 after being released by Punjab Kings (PBKS). He scored 513 runs from 15 matches at an average of over 42, including six half-centuries.
Speaking during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Vettori said that RCB are unlikely to go after another player in the auction and instead backed Maxwell to captain the team.
“Glenn Maxwell will be the likely heir to Kohli. He produced the goods last year and was an exceptional player for them. He has the experience of captaining the Melbourne Stars (in the Big Bash League). We talked about most teams wanting to find a captain when they retain players,” said Vettori.
“I think it has happened too often that teams have to figure out a way to find someone in the auction, which can cloud your thinking at times. So, I do believe that Maxwell will be named captain,” he added.
Maxwell, who had a difficult outing with other franchises, has regained his absolute best at RCB, prompting Vettori to say that the management is likely to reward that trust by appointing him as captain.
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“I think there will be reward for his performance. I’m sure Kohli had a huge say in this. He wanted to set the way to allow someone that he didn’t really interact with to come in and lead the team.
“Both (Kohli and Maxwell) have similar demeanors. So, I can see Kohli and Maxwell being in good spirits,” Vettori concluded.
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