IPL 2022, RCB vs PBKS: Still eyeing maiden title triumphs, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings look to begin afresh

Virat Kohli the batter but the focus will still remain on the maestro in Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL-15 opener against Punjab Kings here on Sunday. For, it will be the first time Kohli will not be leading RCB in nearly a decade, turning out only as a player, instead. Relinquishing captaincy, however, will in no way take away any attention from Kohli, who will look to rediscover his glorious touch and power the franchise to a maiden title triumph in the 2022 edition of the event, which begins in Mumbai on Saturday.

Both RCB and PBKS will have new captains at the helm in Faf du Plessis and Mayank Agarwal respectively, but Kohli will certainly attract a lot of attention now that he is not entrusted with leading the side, something which he last experienced in 2012. In the 2013 edition of the lucrative tournament, Kohli took over captaincy from New Zealander Daniel Vettori, and left the post last year after leading the team for eight seasons. RCB's best performance under Kohli's captaincy was in 2016 when the team emerged runners-up with the skipper amassing more than 900 runs with four centuries, exactly the kind of season the 33-year-old will look forward to. A veteran of many a battle, Kohli though still had "butterflies in the stomach" ahead of the start of the tournament. And so is the case for most of the players gearing up for the tournament, now a 10-team affair with the addition of Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.

Still eying their maiden title triumphs, both teams will be eager to make a strong statement first up. Seasoned South African du Plessis, who was acquired by RCB for Rs 7 crore in the IPL mega auction last month, will captain the side even as it continues its search for its first-ever