Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower and director Mo Bobat revealed that the call the release skipper Faf du Plessis ahead of the IPL 2025 auction was a tough one. The South African was not among the retention picks made by RCB which include Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal and Rajat Patidar. Du Plessis joined RCB after completing a move from CSK and went to captain the side for a couple of seasons, acting as Virat Kohli’s successor.
RCB’s thoughts on releasing Faf du Plessis ahead of IPL 2025 auction
In a video uploaded by RCB on social media platform X, RCB head coach Andy Flower and Mo Babot explained the rationale behind the decision to release Faf du Plessis. Flower admitted that the decision to release Faf was a tough one, adding that his leadership in IPL 2024 was sensational. du Plessis played an integral role in taking RCB to the playoffs in 2024 with his captaincy. Flower, however, dropped a hint over why Faf du Plessis wasn’t retained as he said that the South African was above 40 years of age.
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As a result of releasing Faf du Plessis, RCB will now be on the hunt for a new captain in IPL 2025. While reports claimed that Virat Kohli could be handed back the captaincy, Babot has refuted such claims and both the coach & director have maintained that they are willing to consider other candidates for the leadership role.
During Virat Kohli’s tenure as captain in 143 IPL matches, RCB secured 66 victories, suffered 70 defeats, tied three games, and saw four matches end without a result. This record gives him a win percentage of 46.15% and a win-loss ratio of 0.94.
RCB Retention List for IPL 2025
Retention No. 1 (Rs 21 crore) – Virat Kohli
Retention No. 2 (Rs 11 crore) – Rajat Patidar
Retention No. 3 (Rs 5 crore) – Yash Dayal
Purse left – 83 Cr