Captains of RCB: Complete List of Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captains from 2008 to 2025

| Posted on May 14, 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is one of the most followed and iconic franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite being a team of superstars over the years, RCB is yet to win an IPL title. 

One of the key aspects of being a good team is leadership, and RCB has had several captains over the years. Since its inception in 2008, RCB has made a lot of changes in the captaincy, and we will explore the complete list of captains of RCB. 

Let’s explore the list of captains of RCB from 2008 to 2025, highlighting their impact, leadership styles, and the team’s performance under their guidance. 

Complete List of Captains of RCB (From 2008 to 2025)

Over the years, they have had a mix of experienced international stars and Indian stalwarts as their captain. Each captain of RCB brought something unique to the table in terms of leadership style. During some of the captains, we saw stability, while others saw frequent changes. 

Leadership has played a key role in shaping the strategies, squad development, and on-field performance in the RCB camp. 

Let’s look at the complete list of RCB captains who’ve transformed the way RCB play. 

CaptainSpanMatchesWonLostTiedNR%
Rahul Dravid2008144100028.6
Kevin Pietersen20096240033.3
Anil Kumble2009-20103519160054.3
Daniel Vettori2011-20122814130053.6
Virat Kohli2011-202114366703448.6
Shane Watson20173120033.3
Faf du Plessis2022-20243818200047.4
Rajat Patidar202511830072.7

IPL 2025 is still ongoing. We will update this table upon the completion of the IPL. 

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was the first captain of RCB. He was picked as a state representative in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, like Sachin Tendulkar went to the Mumbai Indians and Virender Sehwag went to the Delhi Daredevils. 

Rahul led the franchise in all 14 games in the first season, but the team didn’t do well under his captaincy. They could only win 4 out of 14 matches and finished last in the group stages. 

Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen

After a not-so-successful captaincy stint of Rahul Dravid, Kevin Pietersen replaced him to lead the team. However, it wasn’t for long. He was replaced mid-season by Anil Kumble in 2009. Before being replaced, he led the side for 6 matches and managed to help them win only two games. 

Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble

Third on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain’s list is Anil Kumble. He was made captain mid-way in 2009 after a disastrous run of Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen. Under his leadership, RCB bounced back into the competition and reached the final but ultimately lost to Deccan Chargers. Then in 2010, Kumble guided them to a playoff stop. After that, he announced his retirement from all formats of the game ahead of the 2011 IPL. He became the mentor of the franchise after that. 

Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori

The former New Zealand great Daniel Vettori took over as the captain of RCB from Anil Kumble. He led the side for two seasons and was mildly successful. In 2011, RCB topped the table and stormed into the final, where they were defeated by the Chennai Super Kings (CS). 2012 was not a great season for them as they failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished fifth in the points table. Vettori had a record of 18 wins in 28 games as captain of RCB. 

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is a name that everyone associates with RCB. He has been playing for them since the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. By 2013, Virat was already a mature player who could take up the responsibility of leading a team. 

IN 2013, he was named the captain of RCB, and he continued to lead the side till 2021 when he stepped down from the captaincy of the RCB side. He has a good captaincy record for Bengaluru, but he could not land them a title in 17 years. The 36-year-old former India captain led the franchise in 143 matches across multiple seasons and won 66 games for them. He had the second-longest captaincy stint for a franchise after MS Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings. He also took RCB into the final in 2016, where they were beaten by Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also stood in as captain in three matches in 2023 in the absence of Faf du Plessis. 

Shane Watson

Shane Watson

Shane Watson also captained the RCB side in 2017 in the absence of Virat Kohli. He stood in as captain in three matches when Virat was injured in 2017. In those three matches, RCB won only 1 game and lost two. 

Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis

After Virat Kohli stepped down from the captaincy, RCB decided to pick Faf du Plessis in the IPL auction in 2021. Before the start of IPL 2022, RCB named him captain of the team. He led the team for the next three seasons, and he had a great time with the franchise. Under his leadership, RCB reached the playoffs twice. However, after the conclusion of the 2024 season, RCB decided to let go of Faf ahead of the IPL Auction 2025

Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar

For the 2025 IPL season, RCB decided to go with Rajat Patidar, the 31-year-old middle-order batter from Madhya Pradesh. Here is a quick video shared by the RCB camp when Rajat was appointed the captain of the team. 

Rajat Patidar had a great domestic season, and he also had a great season with RCB in 2023. That is why they decided to make Rajat the face of the RCB franchise. He is the current captain of RCB. 

Stats Comparison: RCB Captains

Now, let’s look at some of the stats of the captains of RCB. 

  • Most Matches as Captain: Virat Kohli (140+ matches)
  • Best Win Percentage: Rajat Patidar (approx. 72%)
  • Most Wins: Virat Kohli (60+ wins)
  • Most Playoff Appearances Under a Captain: Kohli (4 times)

These stats highlight how each captain has impacted the team in their unique ways. 

Conclusion

Captains of RCB have contributed uniquely to the franchise’s legacy. While legends like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble brought traditional leadership, the likes of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis infused professionalism and passion into the game. 

Despite not winning the trophy, RCB continues to be one of the most beloved franchises in the IPL. They have the most loyal fan base as they turn up for every match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. 

Leadership will remain central to their ambitions of getting their hands on the coveted IPL trophy. 

Stay tuned for more updates after the conclusion of IPL 2025. 

FAQs

Ans: Rahul Dravid was the first captain of RCB back in 2008.  

Ans: No, Virat resigned from the RCB captaincy in 2021.  

Ans: The current captain of RCB is Rajat Patidar, the middle-order batsman.

Ans: To date, RCB has had 8 captains to lead their franchise.

Ans: Kohli stepped down in 2021 to manage his workload and focus more on his batting.

Ans: No, RCB is still searching for the elusive IPL title. It looks like their search might be completed by the time season 2025 finishes.

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