De Villiers dismisses 'Rohit Sharma to RCB' possibility in light-hearted manner following Kaif's comment: 'Could be more impactful than Hardik...'

Many teams will be on the lookout for a new captain in the upcoming mega auction for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Speculations are rife that Royal Challengers Bengaluru might be one of those teams in need of a new leader, with reports suggesting they are eyeing a reunion with KL Rahul from Lucknow Super Giants. However, in a surprising turn of events, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has suggested that RCB should consider appointing Rohit Sharma as their captain, following reports of his fallout with Mumbai Indians. This idea was met with amusement by former Bengaluru star AB de Villiers.

There have long been speculations that Rohit could leave MI ahead of the auction, which even sparked reports that the likes of Punjab Kings and LSG have already shown interest in roping in the T20 World Cup-winning skipper. However, Kaif, in a conversation with Star Sports last week, reckoned that RCB should make the most of the Rohit situation and convince him to lead the side. The veteran Indian felt that Rohit's addition to the RCB squad could finally end their long-standing IPL trophy drought.

"RCB should take that chance, 100 per cent, by hook or by crook, they must convince him to take up captaincy. Rohit knows very well how to form an XI so RCB will have the advantage if he is picked and probably their trophy drought could also end," he added.

On Saturday, during a Q&A session with fans on his YouTube channel, de Villiers laughed off the idea of Rohit moving to RCB and reckoned that there was only 0/1 per cent chance of that happening.

“I almost laughed at the Rohit comment. That will be quite a story if Rohit moves from Mumbai Indians to RCB. Wow! Imagine the headlines. It will be bigger than Hardik Pandya's move. He moved from Gujarat Titans back to Mumbai, which although wasn't big a surprise. But if Rohit moves from Mumbai to join his rivals in RCB...oh my god! I don't think there is an option there. I don't see a possibility of MI leaving Rohit. I will give that zero or 0.1 per cent chance,” he said.

The former South Africa captain also backed Faf to continue as the leader and reckoned that Virat Kohli will back the idea.

“Age is just a number, guys. I don't see why his turning 40 would be an issue. He has been there for a few seasons, and the players are used to him. I understand there has been pressure on him because he hasn't won the trophy for RCB, but he has been exceptional as a player. I think Virat will back him with all his experience,” he added.