Former South African cricketer and ex-Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis has candidly spoken about the unique challenge of leading the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise in the shadow of its most iconic figure, Virat Kohli — revealing that a single defeat was enough to have all of Bengaluru and India demanding Kohli's return to the captaincy.

How Du Plessis Came to Captain RCB

Du Plessis was acquired by RCB ahead of the IPL 2022 season and immediately handed the captaincy after Kohli stepped down from the role at the end of the 2021 season to concentrate on his batting and manage his workload. The offer came from the then RCB director of cricket, Mike Hesson, who simply asked Du Plessis whether he would want to lead the side.

Any initial hesitation dissolved rapidly, Du Plessis said, once he received a personal message from Kohli himself. Speaking to fellow former South African cricketer Dale Steyn on Cricinfo's 'Cricketers on Cricketers' show, Du Plessis recalled: Kohli told him, 'listen, couldn't be happier to get a better captain to take over from me. Can't wait to get you in.' Du Plessis said the warmth of that message was immediate: 'There was always respect, but in an instant I felt accepted to step into the shoes.'

The Weight of Kohli's Shadow

Du Plessis was candid about the near-impossible nature of captaining RCB without Kohli's active backing. He said he made his position clear to Kohli in a direct conversation from the outset.

'First of all, this job is not possible without you. Your support, if I don't have it, I'm gonna fail 100%. Dramatically. Because it's impossible without your support. You can cut my legs off underneath me with one sentence, and I'm done,' Du Plessis told Steyn.

He went on to describe the relentless expectation that surrounded the role: 'Let me tell you as a captain, if you lose two games — not even, if you lose one game for RCB — the whole of Bangalore and the whole of India want Virat Kohli to captain. And it's not because they don't like you or me. They just want Virat Kohli to captain. So anything that doesn't happen that's a win comes down to: Virat Kohli must be captain.'

Kohli's Support Made the Difference

Du Plessis acknowledged that Kohli's unconditional backing transformed the experience. He drew a sharp contrast between what confidence felt like with that support — 'the conviction of I'm experienced, I know I'm a good leader, and I've got the support of the guy' — versus the alternative of 'walking into that season crapping myself.'

Notably, Du Plessis himself had stepped down as South Africa captain in 2020, giving him a personal understanding of what it means to transition from leader to team member. That shared experience, he said, created an immediate sense of parity and mutual respect with Kohli. 'At least I was on the same level with him, now that he's a player,' Du Plessis observed.

He described the friendship that developed as instant and uncomplicated: 'I would say we always played against each other, but instantly we felt like we had a very, very good friendship. There's no context here to it. There's no background. It was just, like, straight away.'

Three Years at the Helm

Du Plessis captained RCB for three seasons, during which the franchise consistently reached the playoffs but fell short of the IPL title. He maintained that Kohli's support remained steadfast throughout. 'I had his support — more than unconditional support — from day one. He just had my back all the time,' he said.

The revelations offer a rare window into the internal dynamics of one of the IPL's most high-profile teams — and the particular pressure that comes with leading any side that counts Kohli among its ranks. With RCB's captaincy set to evolve again following the IPL 2025 mega auction, Du Plessis's account underscores just how central Kohli remains to the franchise's identity.