India, June 1 -- When Faf du Plessis was released after the 2024 IPL season and Royal Challengers Bengaluru did not immediately name a replacement captain, murmurs about Virat Kohli's return to leadership began. Speculation was rife. Experts and the media could not stop talking about it. Director of Cricket Mo Bobat did little to dampen the chatter, refusing to rule out the possibility and sending Bengaluru fans into overdrive.

But that was merely the outside noise. Inside the RCB dressing room, discussions had been underway for quite some time.

According to a report in The Indian Express, RCB had decided towards the end of the 2024 season to move on from Faf, with Rajat Patidar identified as his successor. The Madhya Pradesh batter was...