‘I do not want to get carried away’, Sanjay Manjrekar questions Virat Kohli’s suitability for RCB captaincy

Sanjay Manjrekar believes that despite Virat Kohli’s popularity and past achievements, his recent performances may not justify his return as RCB captain.

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that while Virat Kohli’s stature makes him a popular choice for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captaincy among fans, his recent performances may not justify his return as captain. Manjrekar emphasized that leadership decisions should be based on performance rather than reputation alone.

Despite winning the Orange Cap last season and helping Royal Challengers Bangalore secure a fourth-place finish in IPL 2024, Virat Kohli faced criticism for his strike rate, especially after scoring the joint-slowest century in IPL history off 67 deliveries. While his contributions were significant, questions around his scoring pace became a recurring concern.

Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Royal Challengers Bangalore fans should assess Virat Kohli’s potential captaincy objectively, focusing on his recent performances rather than his reputation and star status.

“If instead of Virat Kohli, there was someone else. You just remove him from your mind and just look at his performance in the IPL, his batting and captaincy performance. Then you think whether it is the right decision to make him the captain,” Manjrekar said while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.

“Just because he is Virat Kohli, 95% of fans want him to be the captain. But if you just go by his performances, it isn’t that impressive. This is my problem, I do not want to get carried away, because of hero worship, I do not want to get away from the cricket truth,” Manjrekar added.

Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Virat Kohli for an impressive Rs 21 crore. However, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested that Kohli might not be the ideal captaincy choice, pointing out that his T20 skills may have declined.

“In Tests, Virat Kohli is out of form, but India need him. But in T20s, I don’t think he is as great a player as he was 7-8 years ago,” Manjrekar said.

Virat Kohli has been a powerhouse in the IPL, amassing 8,004 runs across 252 matches, including eight centuries. In IPL 2024, he scored 741 runs in 15 games, averaging an impressive 61.75. The previous season, in IPL 2023, he collected 639 runs over 14 matches at an average of 53.25. His standout season came in 2016, when he led Royal Challengers Bangalore as captain, setting a record with 978 runs in 16 matches at an extraordinary average of 81.