Three-time finalists Royal Challengers Bengaluru have continued the tradition in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by naming a little-known player as♛ captain of the team.
On Thursday, RCB appointed batter Rajat Patidar as their captain for the upcoming IPL 2025, starting on March 21, maintainꦇing the tradition started by the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.
Patidar, the firsꦜt uncapped player to score a century in I🍒PL, will replace former South Africa batter Faf du Plessis, who captained the side from 2022 to 2024 but was not picked in last year's IPL mega auction.
The right-handed Patidar was one of the three players retained by RCB along with former India captain Virat Kohli and pacer Yash Dayal. It will be the first leadership role for Patidar in the IPL 🦄while on the domestic level, he captꦏained his state Madhya Pradesh in the 2024-25 seasons of the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The 31-year-old Patidar first joined RCB in 2021 and returned in 2022 as a replacement player, making an immediate impact. In a breakout season, he amassed 333 runs at a strike rate of 152.75 in 12 appearances, including🌄 a match-winning 112* off 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in a high-stakes Eliminator. In 27 matches for the franchise, he has scored 799 runs including seven half-centuries and one swashbuckling ton.
There is a calmness and simplicity in Rajat that I think will stand him in good stead as a captain, particularly in the IPL. And we watched Rajat very closely as he captained his state side, and we really liked what we saw. He cares about the people he shares a dressing room with, and I think that’s a quality that will instantly earn him the respect of his teammates, and as a leader is an important quality to have. The bravery with which he takes on the game, I think that quality will be really important for him, for the inevitable ups and downs that come along with playing in the IPL, and now stepping up to lead a big franchise.
Kohli was among the first to congratulate Patidar on his a🌸ppointment as RCB skipper. Kohli also♊ expressed confidence in Patidar's leadership abilities.
Rajat, firstly I want to congratulate you and wish you all the very best. I want to tell you that the way you have grown in this franchise and the way you have performed, you have really made a place in the hearts of all the fans of RCB all over India. They get really excited to watch you play, so this is very well deserved. I want to tell you that I and the other team members will be right behind you and you'll have all our support to grow into this role.
Of course, it's a big responsibility. I've done this for many years and Faf's done it for the last few years. To be seen as the guy who will take this franchise forward, I'm sure it's a huge honour for you and I'm very, very happy for you. You have earned the right to be in this position and I'm sure you will grow from strength to strength.
Patidar was the second-highest run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, amassing 428 runs in nine inni🙈ngs at an impressive average of 61.14 and a strike rate of 186.08. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 226 runs, maintaining an average of 56.50 and a strike rate of 107.10.
Despite reaching the final thrice, RCB are yet to win the IPL title, with their last appearance in the final coming in 2016. They've reached the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. In the 2024 edition, they secured a spot in the top four by winning their last six league matches, only to lose in the Eliminatꦰor.
With Patidar at the helm, RCB will be hoping t🦩hat the tide turns in their favour and they𓄧 go all the way in IPL 2025.
