31-year-old middle-order batsman Rajat Patidar has been appointed as the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise made this announcement during an event at KSCA on Thursday, February 13.
After releasing Faf du Plessis, who captained the team in previous seasons, the Bangalore-based franchise was without a captaincy candidate for the 2025 season. Patidar, having guided Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final earlier this season, is set to be the eighth individual to lead RCB as captain.
I believe it was Mo \[Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket\] who spoke to me about it last year,” Patidar said, looking back on his captaincy and remembering the start of leadership discussions. “I believe it was Mo \[Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket\] who spoke to me about it last year,” Patidar said, looking back on his captaincy and remembering the start of leadership discussions. “Are you interested in leading?” questioned Mo. I informed him that I wanted to head the state squad before taking the RCB captaincy. The first indication that I might be appointed captain was that. Taking into account where I began my IPL trip, I was fairly pleased, and now as I look back on it, I am really pleased with the experience thus far.
Patidar made his IPL debut in 2021 and has been with the franchise since then. Known for his ability to dominate both pace and spin, he has played 27 matches for RCB, scoring 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85. Alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal, Patidar was one of the three players retained by RCB before the mega auction, with a retention value of INR 11 crore. However, before the 2022 season, he was released and went unsold at the auction. An unfortunate injury to Luvnith Sisodia during the 2022 season gave Patidar another opportunity as a replacement player. He made a mark by scoring 333 runs in 8 innings, including a century, and has since been an integral part of the team.
Patidar’s appointment marks a new direction for Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were led by Virat Kohli and du Plessis in recent years. Kohli first captained the team in May 2011, temporarily replacing Daniel Vettori, and took over as full-time captain in 2012 until the end of the 2021 season. Under his leadership, RCB reached the playoffs in 2015 and finished as runners-up in 2016, a season where Kohli set a record by scoring 973 runs Additionally, in 2020 and 2021, they qualified for the playoffs. After Kohli stepped down, du Plessis led the team for the 2022-24 cycle, guiding them to the playoffs in both seasons. Kohli, however, captained three matches in 2023 when du Plessis was recovering from a rib injury and played only as an impact player.
Head Coach Andy Flower expressed his confidence in Patidar’s leadership by highlighting three key qualities:
Calm and Composed Nature: “Rajat will be a great leader and captain, especially in the high-pressure IPL environment, thanks to his calm and composed demeanor.” His composure will be very helpful in the early stages of the competition.
Caring Attitude: “Whether it’s his teammates or the people he shares the dressing room with, he truly cares about them.” People will respect and support him because of this trait, which is essential for a leader.
Determination and Resilience:“He has a stubbornness, a strength, and a persistence that is evident not only in his approach but also in his fearless style of play. These qualities will help him navigate the inevitable highs and lows of the IPL and lead a big franchise with confidence.”
Flower concluded by saying, “We see and appreciate these qualities in Rajat, and we believe they will serve him well as a captain.”
Virat Kohli doesn’t need the “captaincy title” to lead, as his natural leadership abilities make him an influential figure regardless, and this will be advantageous for the new captain, Rajat Patidar, according to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s team director, Mo Bobat. Patidar was named RCB captain ahead of IPL 2025 on Thursday.”Virat was considered for the captaincy,” Bobat said in a media interview. I understand that fans might have initially favored Virat, but in my view, he doesn’t need the captaincy label to be a leader.”