No captaincy for Virat Kohli, Watson snubbed in Dinesh Karthik's all-time RCB XI

Bengaluru: As defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru prepare for IPL 2026, batting coach Dinesh Karthik has ignited debate by omitting Virat Kohli from the captaincy role and leaving Shane Watson out of his all-time RCB XI entirely.

Karthik’s line-up, revealed on Cricbuzz, reads: Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (captain), AB de Villiers, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Krunal Pandya, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Josh Hazlewood.

The decision to hand the armband to Patidar rather than Kohli—who skippered the franchise from 2013-2021 across roughly 140-143 matches—raised eyebrows. Under Kohli, RCB won 66 games, lost 70 and reached the 2016 final, a campaign in which he amassed a still-unmatched 973 runs in a single season. Karthik, however, cited Patidar’s recent title-winning leadership and explosive batting impact as decisive factors. “He’s the most successful captain, let’s start there,” Karthik said, adding that Patidar’s influence in a short span has been “phenomenal”.

Chris Gayle’s inclusion was never in doubt. Between 2011 and 2017 the Jamaican pulverised 3,163 runs in 85 RCB outings at an average above 41, clubbing five centuries and 19 fifties. His 175* against Pune Warriors in 2013 remains the highest individual score in IPL history and, alongside Kohli and AB de Villiers, formed part of RCB’s fabled batting trident.

Watson’s absence is equally striking. The Australian all-rounder’s stint with Bengaluru came towards the twilight of his IPL career, and Karthik noted that Watson’s more prolific contributions came with Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.

Karthik also underscored Krunal Pandya’s championship-defining role, pointing to his match-winning spell in the 2025 final and a Player-of-the-Match display versus CSK. Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal earned their places on the strength of prolific wicket-taking records, while Josh Hazlewood’s IPL 2025 exploits secured the No. 11 slot. Mohammed Siraj edges out former new-ball operators Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Aravind courtesy of his sustained wicket hauls for the franchise.

With RCB eyeing a successful defence of their maiden IPL crown, Karthik’s selections have set the tone for what promises to be another high-stakes season.