Rajat Patidar RBC Captain Shortlisted for IPL 2025-A New Day

There has been a change of heart at midnight by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as Rajat Patidar has been added to the list of players who are now in the running to be the captain of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 team. The 31-year-old middle-order batman will be the team captain from now on as the team bid adieu to erstwhile captain Faf du Plessis. The news was revealed at an official RCB function on February 13 at Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Patidar's Rise to Captaincy

Career pinnacle moment is Patidar's rise to captaincy. He is one of the RCB players as he was playing his debut IPL match during the 2021 season but on a rotational basis. He was let go by the team before the 2022 season and was not included in the list auctioned under the hammer, and he re-signed with the team as the cover of the injured. Subsequently, he has been made available at the margins and already demonstrated that he can play pace and spin. Having already captained Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy over the summer, Patidar was already a decent favourite to be captain. Reflecting on the exchange subsequently, he has stoked initial speculation regarding the captaincy:

Personally, I have also personally met Mo [RCB Director of Cricket, Bobat] last year and discussed the team captaincy with him. I had to gain experience as a captain first in state teams before an RCB captain's hat would be bestowed upon me. Experience gave me that confidence within myself that this opportunity would definitely knock at my door.

His leadership qualities and sturdiness at the crease have given the franchisee players the confidence they have been lacking. RCB had him in place before the mega auction for INR 11 crore together with stars Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal.

RCB has also had some of the finest players in the game as their skipper. Virat Kohli was the captain of RCB from 2012-2021 and took them to the playoffs every year and even runner-up in 2016. du Plessis took over as captain after Kohli in 2022 and retained it for two seasons, giving RCB two playoff finishes for two consecutive seasons.

In the absence of du Plessis, RCB needed to select a new captain, and this elevation of Patidar is just the start. His team knowledge and developing leadership qualities are precisely what the team requires.

RCB Head Coach Andy Flower on Patidar's Appointment

RCB captain Andy Flower was impressed with many positives about Patidar's captaincy skills as a leader, and cited three reasons why he is the person for the role:

Simplicity and Peace – "Rajat is a simple and kind boy, something which is desperately required for the captain of a pressure-cooker league like the IPL. His temperament would be a colossus plus point when he will be under pressure as a captain."

Respect and Admiration of the Team Members – "Though he is unable to talk, he is quite concerned about his team-mates. If he is so and so and thus it won't be that difficult for him to captain, it would make him deserving of respect and admiration from the dressing room."

Stubbornness and Courage – "He's got steeliness, inner strength that's going to make him get the job done. He's going to buck things, and this kind of courage is going to be needed because he becomes this leadership role."

Flower also described how Patidar demonstrated grit: "Even when he gets trapped in the nets, he is tough in his game and never gives up hope. Such toughness on the ground makes him a warrior on the ground."

Patidar's Impact on RCB

Besides his 2022 RCB contract, Patidar played 27 games and amassed 799 runs with a strike rate of 158.85. His low point was that when he already made 333 runs in an eight-match tournament and already possessed a hundred within their total as well as having been already adjudged the franchise player.

His ability to unsettle the bowlers and modifying his cricket according to the demands of the game works in favor of RCB. Captaincy as well now, Patidar will be the focal point to guide the team with his bat, and with his brains as a thinker. 

A Glimpse Ahead to IPL 2025

RCB supporters are expecting this franchise with Patidar in the new age. His promotion is an Indian move at the final summit of the show. With a quality batting line-up and a young skipper to guide it even higher, the franchise would try to win their long-awaited first IPL title.

With the clocking in for IPL 2025, new RCB captain Rajat Patidar is set to make his mark as a name on whom one can wager in one of the globe's toughest of cricket leagues.