Having led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the past nine editions, Virat Kohli knows the pressure that comes with leading a high-profile franchise. However, the maverick batter has left captaincy duties and is now looking forward to giving his best in the 15th edition of the tournament. Having let go of the leadership responsibility, Kohli will look to replicate the success of the 2016 edition where he scored almost 1,000 runs. The right-handed batter will look to take his franchise all the way this season and he would hope to motivate the youngsters as well.
Kohli linked up with RCB squad on Monday in Mumbai and after finishing his mandatory quarantine period, he would start training ahead of the 15th edition of the cash-rich league.
"Wow. 15 years, it's quite unbelievable that the IPL has come this far. Renewed energy because I am off a lot of responsibilities and duties. Life is in a very good place, we have a child now, we have a family. It's about watching my child grow and doing what I love that is playing cricket. My focus is so clear now and it is so precise on what I want to do," Kohli said in a video posted on the official YouTube channel of RCB.
RCB have already appointed a new captain and the former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis will be donning the captaincy hat this season. The former Proteas captain was picked up by the franchise for Rs 7 crore in the IPL mega auction.
Talking about Faf, Kohli said: "I am absolutely ready. I messaged him as soon as he was picked by RCB. Sounded him a little bit on what's to come. I knew getting Faf in the auction, the plan was very clear. We needed a leader who commands a lot of respect in the dressing room. He has been a Test captain; the profile comes with a lot of accolades already. Absolutely excited for him to lead RCB this year, we get along really well."
IPL 2022 will begin on March 26 and RCB will play their first game on March 27 against the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings.
RCB Squad: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Faf du Plessis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahamad, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Luvnith Sisodia, David Willey.