Mumbai/IBNS: Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli is likely to return as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain in the next season of Indian Premier League (IPL), media reports said.

Kohli will lead the charge of the Bengaluru franchise in IPL 2025.

The report comes just a month away from the mega auction for the next season of the cash-rich T20 tournament.

After Kohli stepped down as the captain in 2021, Faf du Plessis led the side from 2022 to 2024. However, Faf, 40, is set to step down over his age.

Kohli led RCB, who have never won an IPL trophy, from 2013 to 2021. He quit captaincy just days after stepping down from the role in the national side for T20Is.

After quitting captaincy, Kohli had, however, made it clear that he will never shift his base in IPL.

"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," the star batter had said.

Kohli steps in again as the captain as RCB has failed to fill in the leadership vacuum.