Moeen Ali Reveals RCB Wanted to Sack Virat Kohli as Captain in 2019

Moeen Ali has made a surprising revelation about Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s past leadership talks. According to the all-rounder, former wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel was almost made captain of RCB during the 2019 IPL season.

Kohli Nearly Replaced During Kirsten’s Tenure

Speaking to Sports Tak, Moeen said the change was considered when Gary Kirsten was coach.

“Yes, I think he was. I’m quite sure he was. In the final year when Gary Kirsten was there after the first year, I believe Parthiv was in line to become captain. He had a brilliant cricketing brain. That was the talk at the time,” Moeen said. “I don’t know what happened or why it didn’t materialise, but I’m sure he was seriously considered for the role.”

Virat Kohli had taken over as RCB captain in 2013 after Daniel Vettori. However, the team struggled in the following years. Between 2017 and 2019, RCB finished at the bottom twice.

Despite the poor results, the captaincy switch didn’t happen. Kohli remained in charge until he stepped down in 2021, citing workload concerns. Faf du Plessis then led the side from 2022.

RCB’s First Title Came Under Patidar

In 2025, RCB finally broke their IPL title drought. Under new captain Rajat Patidar, the team won their first-ever championship.

Virat Kohli played a key role in that title run, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches, showing he was still a top performer even without the captaincy.

Parthiv Patel, meanwhile, left RCB after the 2019 season and did not play in the IPL again.