IPL 2021: "We have not seen Devdutt Padikkal's captaincy" - Aakash Chopra on RCB's candidates as skipper for next year

Aakash Chopra believes the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) might have to acquire an IPL captain at the upcoming player auction as Devdutt Padikkal's credentials as a skipper are not known.

Virat Kohli has already announced that he will step down as the RCB skipper after IPL 2021. The three-time finalists will be on the lookout for an able leader to replace him at the helm of affairs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked by a fan about RCB's captaincy candidates for next season's edition of the Indian Premier League. He responded:

"It is difficult, I will say you will have to do some acquisition. We have not seen Devdutt Padikkal's captaincy, so how he does it I have got no idea."

While acknowledging that Padikkal might be the best fit to take over the reins in the current RCB squad, the former India opener was unsure about his leadership qualities. Chopra observed:

"I think there are plenty of questions because among those who they have, Devdutt Padikkal is the only one seen but you and I both don't know his captaincy credentials."

Padikkal has excelled as a batsman at the top of the order for RCB in the last two seasons of the IPL. However, it might be too premature to hand over the captaincy to the 21-year-old youngster.

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Aakash Chopra on RCB's other captaincy options

Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul have both played for RCB in the past [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra also suggested a few names that RCB could consider onboarding as skipper for next year. He said:

"Will Delhi leave Shreyas Iyer? He can be captaincy material. Will KL Rahul continue with Punjab? If he gets released, he could be the one. If Mayank Agarwal is released, he can be. If Ravichandran Ashwin is released, he can be."

While acknowledging that RCB might retain some of their prominent players, the 44-year-old opined that the choice of skipper will not be an easy one. Chopra elaborated:

"If you have to build a new franchise, Kohli will be there, AB will also be there, it is possible Maxwell might also be there, Chahal might also be there. Even if you reacquire all of them, who will be the new captain you will get? It is going to be an interesting one, I don't have an answer for that question."

While AB de Villiers might be the best candidate to take over as the RCB captain, it is unclear how long he will be playing even if he is available for next year. The franchise think tank might opt for a younger skipper in such a scenario, keeping the long-term goals in mind.