Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captains



Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captains (iplt20)Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captains (iplt20)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), formerly Bangalore, have always been the team that grabs eyeballs. Be it their star players, stunning performances, or the heartbreak of falling short of the IPL trophy, RCB well and truly knows how to leave the crowd and their fans fascinated.

Over the years, the Bangalore-based franchise has had quite a few captains, who have brought their own flavour to the leadership role. Let’s break down the list of RCB captains and briefly discuss their current captain Rajat Patidar’s leadership.

List of All RCB Captains

Captain
Span
Matches
Won
Lost
Tied/No Result
Win %
Best Finish
Rahul Dravid2008144100/028.57
7th place (2008)
Kevin Pietersen20096240/033.33-
Anil Kumble 2009-20103519160/054.28
Runners-up (2009)
Daniel Vettori2011-20122815130/053.57
Runners-up (2011)
Virat Kohli2011-202314366703/446.15
Runners-up (2016)
Shane Watson20173120/033.33-
Faf du Plessis 2022-20244221210/050
Playoffs (2022 & 2024)
Rajat Patidar2025-Present
11830/027.27-

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captain 2025

Rajat Patidar (2024-Present)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captain 2025: Rajat Patidar (iplt20)Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captain 2025: Rajat Patidar (iplt20)

With a revamped squad ahead of IPL 2025, RCB appointed batter Rajat Patidar as the captain. The development dismissed all speculation, stating that Virat Kohli could be re-appointed as the leader after they did not retain Faf du Plessis, their captain from 2022 to 2024, before the mega auction.

Patidar came in with a brief experience of leading the Madhya Pradesh squad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. In his maiden season as the RCB captain, the 31-year-old has done a great job securing wins in the majority of their matches, and a possibility of taking the team into the playoffs.  

FAQs: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captains

Q.1. How many captains of RCB are there?

Answer: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has had 8 different captains in its IPL history. The current captain, Rajat Patidar, is the most recent addition to this list, having been appointed for the 2025 season.

Q.2. Why did RCB let go Siraj?

Answer: It is believed that Md. Siraj's underwhelming record at the M. Chinnaswamy, the home ground of RCB, forced his release. 

Q.3. Why is Virat Kohli not captain of RCB?

Answer: In the words of Virat Kohli himself, the constant pressure of leading India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru for nearly a decade and the relentless scrutiny around his batting "became too much in the end" for Virat Kohli. That is why he stepped down from leadership to be in a "happy space".

Q.4. Who was the 1st captain of RCB?

Answer: The first captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was Rahul Dravid. He led the team in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.

Q.5. How much RCB pay Virat Kohli?

Answer: Virat Kohli, the highest run scorer for RCB, has a Rs 21 crore contract with the team. The highest-paid Bengaluru player is followed by Josh Hazlewood (Rs 12.50 crore) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Rs 10.75 crore).