The Royal Challengers Bengaluru finalised a 22-member squad for the 2025 Indian Premier League throughout the two-day auction earlier this week, but suspense remains on their captaincy. With no clear favourite for the skipper role, it is widely expected that Virat Kohli, who was a long-term RCB skipper before stepping down from the post after the 2021 season, could be re-appointed.

Former RCB batter and one of the legends of the game, AB de Villiers, seemed to hint that Kohli "will lead" the side in the 2025 season. Under Kohli, RCB reached the final of 2016 IPL, which was also the last time the side had reached the title clash.

"I don't think it has been confirmed yet, but he will be the captain, I think, looking at the squad" de Villiers said on his official YouTube channel.

Among the auction picks, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another senior India player who has captained in the IPL; however, the pacer has only undertaken interim duties at Sunrisers Hyderabad. Krunal Pandya, another one of RCB's auction buys, also leads the Baroda side in domestic cricket, but has no experience in leading an IPL team.

De Villiers happy with RCB's squad

AB de Villiers was happy with RCB's squad, though, and particularly the pace attack that the side formed throughout the auction.

"We got Bhuvneshwar Kumar, happy with Josh Hazlewood. We did miss out on a couple here and there. Rabada was close, but at least we got Lungi Ngidi. He's got a wonderful slower ball, if he is in form and fit, he is a force to be reckoned with," said the former Proteas captain.

"We missed out on Ravichandran Ashwin. CSK got him, but very happy to see him in the yellow jersey again. But all in all, I'm fairly happy. It's a well-balanced squad, we are missing a match-winning spinner but hopefully we are able to balance the squad in such a manner that we make Chinnaswamy a fortress. This squad should work at Chinnaswamy."

Weakness in RCB squad

De Villiers did, however, point out that the side is missing a spinner who could turn the ball both ways, insisting that RCB might miss a spinner, particularly during the home games. He suggested the franchise might rope in a spinner from the unsold players list. If that doesn't happen, de Villiers suggested BCCI to have a mid-season transfer window.

"On the road, I feel we might miss out on someone who turns both ways. We need it, and I feel we are lacking it a little bit. It reminds me a touch about the transfer window some time in the future. I wish the IPL and the BCCI will bring out a transfer window, where half-way through the tournament, we could make transfers. You can possibly get an extra spinner into the squad, a wrist spinner, perhaps, or you could go back to the unsold list. It's something to think about," said the South African great.

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