Newly-appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar faces a significant challenge as he prepares to lead the franchise in pursuit of their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title this season. While the 31-year-old has yet to captain in the IPL, his experience in the role in T20 cricket provides some insight.
Patidar’s only stint as a T20 captain came in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he led Madhya Pradesh in eight competitive matches, securing six impressive victories and successfully guiding the team to the final.
Despite his unbeaten 81 off 40 balls, featuring six fours and six sixes, Madhya Pradesh fell short in the title clash, losing to Mumbai by five wickets. Nevertheless, Patidar enjoyed an outstanding tournament, amassing 428 runs in nine innings at an average of 61.14, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer.
Since making his IPL debut in the 2021 season, Rajat Patidar has amassed 799 runs at an average of 34.73 and a striking rate of 158.84. His standout performance came in the 2022 Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he blasted an unbeaten 112 off 54 balls at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“Provide an experience that makes them feel comfortable and self-assured”- Rajat Patidar
Speaking about his appointment as captain, Patidar, who takes over from Faf du Plessis, expressed his desire to create an ideal environment for the players. He aims to give them the freedom to feel comfortable and play with complete expression. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he stated:
“I really feel good right now. If I talk about my way of captaincy, I’m not that much expressive, but at the same time, I’m aware of the situation of the matches. So I think for me it’s important to back my players and stand with them and give the sort of involvement where they feel relaxed and confident.”
“So yeah, I’m lucky that I am surrounded by one of the best people in the team and we have a group of leaders as well where their experience and ideas will definitely help in my new leadership role and growth as an individual also.”
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