Former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli has been named as the stand-in captain of the team in their IPL 2023 clash against PBKS on Thursday.
MORE: Latest IPL 2023 betting and odds
Kohli will lead the side despite Faf du Plessis being named in the RCB starting lineup against PBKS.
Why is Virat Kohli captaining RCB against PBKS?
Fans were surprised to see Virat Kohli coming out for the toss as RCB captain, a sight not so familiar since IPL 2021.
Faf du Plessis has been leading the side since last season but on Thursday against PBKS Virat Kohli was named the skipper of the side.
Well, Virat Kohli clarified during the toss that even though Faf du Plessis has been named in the starting lineup, the South African is not fit enough to field and will be replaced in the second innings by Vyshak Vijay Kumar.
As Du Plessis will not be featuring while the team fields, Kohli has been named as the stand-in captain.
MORE: IPL 2023: Date and TV schedule for T20 cricket tournament
How has Virat Kohli performed as RCB skipper?
Between 2011 to 2021, Virat Kohli captained RCB in 140 matches where he scored 4881 runs and hit five centuries and 35 half-centuries. His highest score in an inning as RCB skipper is 113 runs.