Parthiv Patel says RCB considered him to replace Virat Kohli as captain before 2019 IPL
Patel confirmed RCB considered replacing Kohli with him before 2019 but the plan ended with a coaching change.
Parthiv Patel has confirmed Royal Challengers Bengaluru once looked at him to take over from Virat Kohli before the 2019 season. He was told to be ready for the role, but the plan fell through after head coach Gary Kirsten and bowling coach Ashish Nehra were replaced.
Moeen Ali had already hinted at the idea — that RCB wanted to promote Patel mid-season. Kohli stayed on anyway, kept the job until 2021, and the franchise waited until 2025 for Rajat Patidar to deliver its first title.
CricHubb Take
The timing matters: if RCB were ready to drop Kohli in 2019, it raises the question of why they kept him for three more seasons without a title.