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Cricket PlayersIPL 2020 | Will Virat Kohli remain captain? RCB chairman gives stunning reply
IPL 2020: Sanjeev Churiwala, the chairman of RCB, gave a stunning reply when he was asked whether the franchise is thinking about replacing Virat Kohli as captain for the upcoming edition of IPL in the UAE.
5th, 7th, 3rd, runner-up, 8th, 6th, 8th – These are Royal Challengers Bangalore’s standings under Virat Kohli’s leadership in the IPL. In the seven editions that Kohli has captained RCB, the franchise has qualified for the play-offs only twice with one of them being the finals in 2016 while the rest of the seasons have ended in disappointments.
Not that RCB were a hugely successful team before Kohli took over in 2013 but they had reached the finals two times in five seasons. Naturally, RCB’s lack of consistent performance under Kohli has always remained one of the most talked about topics of IPL. The franchise owners however, have always stood firmly behind the Indian captain. (Full coverage of IPL 2020)
There was no difference ahead of the IPL 2020 set to take place in the UAE. Sanjeev Churiwala, the chairman of RCB, gave a stunning reply when he was asked whether the franchise is thinking about replacing Kohli as captain.
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“Virat is the Indian captain,” Churiwala said. “And has the highest fan-followers. We all love Virat and love to be associated with Virat.”
RCB’s highest run-scorer Kohli has led them in 110 matches, out of which RCB have won 49 and lost 55. Kohli’s low win percentage in the IPL is in stark contrast with his performance as the India captain.
“Look, this is what (the) game is: sometimes you lose, sometimes you win, but let’s not forget what that individual is and what kind of track record he has,” Churiwala said. “As RCB, as an RCB owner, we are very, very proud that Virat is associated with us.”
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After a disappointing last three seasons where RCB finished last on two occasions, Kohli would be hoping for a change of fortunes when the IPL begins in the UAE on September 19.
Speaking about RCB’s 21-member squad, Churiwala said it is a balanced one.
“Without getting into specific names, on the matter of what was in our minds - very clearly, we were buying out to ensure that we can create a core XI. Each and every player has a meaningful role to play, whether they’re in the XI or not in the XI.
“Number two, we also wanted to ensure that we have a proper balance between the batting side and the bowling side. We wanted to ensure that there’s strength on both sides. We had identified internally a couple of weaknesses we wanted to work upon, without getting to the specifics, some of the players we’ve chosen this time is to ensure that we stick to that. One of them was that the core players are national players, that’s what we’ve stuck to also this time,” he added.
