Former England captain Kevin Pieterson is likely to captain Bangalore based IPL team Royal Challengers in the upcoming IPL season which starts in April this year. Though it is not confirmed yet, sources in the Royal Challengers camp informed that there is a very strong possibility of Pieterson captaining the side. "Shane Warne was denied the captaincy in Australia, and look what he did in the IPL last year (Warne's Rajasthan Royals won the tournament). We expect KP will have a point to prove too with regards to captaincy, and that will only benefit the team”, the source said.

Vijay Mallya, the team's owner, had hinted at a change of captaincy after the player auction in Goa last week when he bought Pieterson for a record US$ 1.55 million. "The captaincy options are open," Mallya said. "The team management will take a decision on it."

Dravid, the former India captain, had led the Royal Challengers last year when the team finished seventh out of eight.

Meanwhile, Ray Jennings, the Bangalore coach, feels that Pietersen would succeed as captain of his team even if it is for the short-term. "Kevin may work really well as captain for a short period," Jennings told the Times.

This year's IPL will run from April 10-May 24 but officials are yet to release the final schedule.

-C.K