Like every year, Virat Kohli is once again among the frontrunners to win the Orange Cap in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kohli has 361 runs from seven matches, which includes two half centuries and one century. He is preparing himself for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the best possible manner amid recent reports that he could open the innings alongside Indian captain Rohit Sharma.
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As good as Kohli has been with the bat, things simply haven't clicked for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this season.
RCB could well become the first team in IPL 2024 to be eliminated from the playoffs, as the 2016 finalists have lost six games and won just won in their first seven fixtures.
The higher-ups at RCB might ring the changes ahead of the all-important mega auction of IPL 2025, which begs the question: will RCB retain Kohli, who will be 36 at the time?
MORE: What is Virat Kohli's record for India as an opener in T20Is?
Will Royal Challengers Bengaluru retain Virat Kohli ahead of IPL Auction 2025?
If there was ever a better time for RCB to undergo a major overhaul, it would be ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
That's not to say that Kohli should not be retained. In fact, quite the opposite. Kohli should be the first name to be retained by the franchise.
RCB not winning a single IPL trophy yet cannot be blamed on Kohli. Instead, Kohli has given his all to this franchise, and remains the only active player in the entire league history to be associated with the same franchise since its inception in 2008.
Kohli is as big an RCB icon as MS Dhoni is for the Chennai Super Kings, if not bigger. The 35-year-old is one of the reasons RCB have such a loyal fanbase and continue to hope to break their 16-year-long IPL curse. Losing RCB would mean losing a big chunk of the fanbase, which will hurt them from a strategic and marketing point of view.
Just imagine the furore that would be caused by RCB releasing Kohli if you are already aware of the public dissatisfaction following the removal of Rohit Sharma as the captain of Mumbai Indians. It would be disastrous.
There are no two doubts about Kohli's retention by RCB. Kohli is certainly not bigger than the franchise. No player ever is. But RCB is what it is now thanks in large part to the contributions of Kohli both on and off the pitch.
MORE: Comparing strike rates of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in IPL
Which other players should Royal Challengers Bengaluru decide to retain?
The only other players apart from Kohli who should be retained by the franchise are Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj.
Maxwell's time with RCB has been largely successful (individually), even though he's having a shockingly poor season in 2024. Siraj, meanwhile, has been with the franchise for too long, and has been among the best servants of RCB.
The leadership of Faf du Plessis has been questionable, even though you could argue that the players haven't stepped up this year. At 39, he isn't getting any younger, and releasing him to make way for a younger, more motivated captain could do the trick.
The signing of Cameron Green has been an absolute 10/10 failure. The Australian all-rounder was brought in via an expensive cash-only deal Mumbai Indians, but hasn't done enough to warrant a retention.
And where should we even start when it comes to the bowling? RCB have been simply irresponsible with their auction strategies, leaving too much for the batsman to do with the sort of bowling lineup they have every season. They need a complete overhaul in the bowling department and sign some bowlers who can turn matches around single-handedly.
Speaking about Dinesh Karthik, he has been simply outstanding this year. But whether he plays next season or not is a big question mark right now.
How has Virat Kohli performed in IPL 2024?
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 361 | 72.20 | 147.34 | 2 | 1 | 113* |
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