Royal Challengers Bangalore’s exit from the IPL on Friday has triggered a debate on the role of its captain Virat Kohli who has again failed to lift the trophy in spite of having a side with fancied names.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has been the most scathing with his call for Kohli’s removal as RCB skipper, saying it was a question of “accountability”.

Asked by ESPNCricinfo if Kohli should be axed as RCB captain, Gambhir replied: “100 per cent.”

No other player, he said, would have got eight years at the helm without showing any result. So it has to be accountability,” Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, said.

He cited the example of Ravichandran Ashwin, who was removed as Kings XI Punjab captain only after two seasons because he couldn’t deliver.

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar blamed Kohli’s indifferent performance with the bat for RCB’s failure to go the distance. “Looking at the high standards that he (Kohli) sets for himself, maybe he would say he didn’t quite match that,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Kohli, however, found support from Gambhir’s former opening partner Virendra Sehwag, who said “a captain is only as good as his team”.