Kohli to quit as Bangalore skipper after IPL

|| AFP ||

Virat Kohli announced Sunday that he will step down as captain of his Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore after the ongoing edition of the Twenty20 tournament.

"This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB," Kohli wrote on his team's Twitter feed, three days after his decision to also quit India's T20 captaincy at the end of the World Cup in October-November. 

"I'll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me."

The 32-year-old Kohli, who has been with RCB since the inaugural IPL in 2008, took charge as captain in 2013 but still awaits his first title for the franchise.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RCB management, coaches, support staff, players, and the entire RCB family, who have been instrumental in the growth of the franchise over the years. It wasn't an easy decision but one that has been well thought of and in the best interest of this wonderful franchise," 

"The RCB family remains close to my heart as we continue to strive to achieve excellence. As I have mentioned previously in many occasions, I will only play for RCB until my retirement from the game of cricket," Virat Kohli said in the video.

Kohli, who has hit over 6,000 runs in 199 IPL matches, led RCB to a runners-up finish in 2016 and ended the season as the highest run-getter.

Kohli's leadership has been the subject of mounting speculation in recent months with his national deputy Rohit Sharma often hailed a better T20 leader with five IPL titles for holders Mumbai Indians.

Sharma is the front runner to succeed Kohli, who will stay as the national Test and one-day leader, as captain of India's T20 team.

The world's most popular T20 tournament has resumed in the United Arab Emirates after it was halted by a raging coronavirus pandemic in India in May.

Bangalore, who are in the top four of the eight-team table, will play Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Monday.