Virat Kohli to step down as RCB captain after IPL 2021

File image of Virat Kohli (Image: Twitter/IPL, BCCI)

Indian skipper Virat Kohli on September 19 announced his decision to step down from the captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) following the current edition of Indian Premiere League (IPL).

"This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB," Kohli said in a video statement, that was posted on the franchise's official social media handle.

"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 added.

Virat Kohli to step down from RCB captaincy after #IPL2021

“This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. 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.”: Virat Kohli#PlayBold#WeAreChallengerspic.twitter.com/QSIdCT8QQM — Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 19, 2021

Kohli has been captaining RCB since 2013, and has been associated with the team since the tournament's inaugural edition in 2008.

Under his captaincy, however, RCB is yet to win an edition of the IPL. In the current season, the team is ranked at the third position, with victories in five out of the seven matches played so far.

The announcement of Kohli stepping down as RCB captain, following the current season, comes a couple of days after he announced that he would be relinquishing the captaincy of Indian T20 side after the T20 World Cup in October.

"Considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian Team in Test and ODI Cricket. I have given everything to the Team during my time as T20 Captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 Team as a batsman moving forward," said a statement issued by him on September 16.