section_path: History/2013–2015: Kohli's captaincy and intermediate seasons
section_name: 2013–2015: Kohli's captaincy and intermediate seasons
paragraph_text: 2013–2015: Kohli's captaincy and intermediate seasons
  
  Before the 2013 auction, RCB released Mohammad Kaif, Charl Langeveldt, Dirk Nannes, Luke Pomersbach, and Rilee Rossouw. At the auction, they acquired Christopher Barnwell, Daniel Christian, Moises Henriques, Ravi Rampaul, Pankaj Singh, R. P. Singh, and Jaydev Unadkat. Virat Kohli replaced Daniel Vettori as captain and remained in that role until 2021. During the IPL season, RCB finished fifth in the group stage points table with 9 wins from 16 matches, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Chris Gayle was the second highest run scorer of the tournament, behind Michael Hussey of the Chennai Super Kings, while Vinay Kumar was the team's highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets.
  
  Before the 2014 auction, RCB retained AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, and Virat Kohli from previous seasons. The players bought in the 2014 auction included Albie Morkel, Mitchell Starc, Parthiv Patel, Ashok Dinda, Nic Maddinson, Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijay Zol, and Yuvraj Singh, who was the most expensive player at ₹ 14 crore (equivalent to ₹ 22 crore or US$2.6 million in 2023), among others. Daniel Vettori replaced Ray Jennings as the head coach of the team. The first phase of the IPL was held in the UAE and the second phase in India. RCB finished 7th in the points table and did not qualify for the playoffs. De Villiers was the highest run-scorer for the team with 395 runs, while Varun Aaron took the most wickets, claiming 16.
  
  Before the 2015 auction, RCB secured Manvinder Bisla from Kolkata Knight Riders and Iqbal Abdulla from Rajasthan Royals, as well as Mandeep Singh from Kings XI Punjab during the transfer window. In the auction, they bought Daren Sammy, Sean Abbott, Subramaniam Badrinath, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dinesh Karthik, among others. Royal Challengers started their season with a win against KKR at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. During the group stage, they won a total of seven out of fourteen matches, finishing in third place on the points table. In the playoffs, they defeated Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator by 71 runs. However, in the second qualifier against the Chennai Super Kings, RCB lost by 3 wickets, knocking them out of the tournament. AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, and Chris Gayle were the 4th, 5th, and 6th highest run-scorers of the season, respectively, while Yuzvendra Chahal was the team's highest wicket-taker and the 3rd highest overall in the season.
  
  Before the 2013 auction, RCB released Mohammad Kaif, Charl Langeveldt, Dirk Nannes, Luke Pomersbach, and Rilee Rossouw. At the auction, they acquired Christopher Barnwell, Daniel Christian, Moises Henriques, Ravi Rampaul, Pankaj Singh, R. P. Singh, and Jaydev Unadkat. Virat Kohli replaced Daniel Vettori as captain and remained in that role until 2021. During the IPL season, RCB finished fifth in the group stage points table with 9 wins from 16 matches, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Chris Gayle was the second highest run scorer of the tournament, behind Michael Hussey of the Chennai Super Kings, while Vinay Kumar was the team's highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets.
  
  Before the 2014 auction, RCB retained AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, and Virat Kohli from previous seasons. The players bought in the 2014 auction included Albie Morkel, Mitchell Starc, Parthiv Patel, Ashok Dinda, Nic Maddinson, Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijay Zol, and Yuvraj Singh, who was the most expensive player at ₹ 14 crore (equivalent to ₹ 22 crore or US$2.6 million in 2023), among others. Daniel Vettori replaced Ray Jennings as the head coach of the team. The first phase of the IPL was held in the UAE and the second phase in India. RCB finished 7th in the points table and did not qualify for the playoffs. De Villiers was the highest run-scorer for the team with 395 runs, while Varun Aaron took the most wickets, claiming 16.
  
  Before the 2015 auction, RCB secured Manvinder Bisla from Kolkata Knight Riders and Iqbal Abdulla from Rajasthan Royals, as well as Mandeep Singh from Kings XI Punjab during the transfer window. In the auction, they bought Daren Sammy, Sean Abbott, Subramaniam Badrinath, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dinesh Karthik, among others. Royal Challengers started their season with a win against KKR at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. During the group stage, they won a total of seven out of fourteen matches, finishing in third place on the points table. In the playoffs, they defeated Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator by 71 runs. However, in the second qualifier against the Chennai Super Kings, RCB lost by 3 wickets, knocking them out of the tournament. AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, and Chris Gayle were the 4th, 5th, and 6th highest run-scorers of the season, respectively, while Yuzvendra Chahal was the team's highest wicket-taker and the 3rd highest overall in the season.