Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has revealed that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had seriously considered removing Virat Kohli as captain during the 2019 IPL season, with Parthiv Patel being a potential replacement. Moeen, who was part of the RCB setup at the time, said he wasn’t sure why the decision didn’t materialise.
“Yes, I think he was. I’m quite sure he was,” Moeen told India Today. “In the final year when Gary Kirsten was there—after the first year, I believe—Parthiv was in line to become captain. He had a brilliant cricketing brain. That was the talk at the time. I don’t know what happened or why it didn’t go through, but he was definitely considered.”
RCB endured a disappointing 2019 season, finishing at the bottom of the table with just 5 wins from 14 games. Parthiv, however, had a fairly successful season, scoring 373 runs at an average of 26.64 and a strike rate of 139.18. Despite being in the squad in 2020, he didn’t get any game time and retired from all forms of cricket later that year.
Kohli continued as RCB’s captain until 2021, before stepping down. Faf du Plessis led the team from 2022 to 2024, but wasn’t retained ahead of the 2025 season. While there was speculation that Kohli could return as captain, RCB eventually named Rajat Patidar as their new skipper.
Despite retiring from Tests and T20Is, Kohli remains active in ODIs and the IPL. Parthiv, meanwhile, has transitioned into coaching and commentary, currently involved with the Delhi Premier League and the Gujarat Titans.
RCB’s long wait for a title finally ended in IPL 2025, when they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Kohli was the top run-scorer of the season. However, the triumph was overshadowed by tragedy, as a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during victory celebrations claimed 11 lives.
