Rajat Patidar’s Swift Ranji Trophy Century Puts RCB on Notice as IPL Retention Deadline Approaches
While his innings is among the fastest in Ranji Trophy history, the overall record still belongs to Rishabh Pant, who smashed a century in only 48 balls. Additionally, an unofficial 45-ball century by Himachal Pradesh’s Shakti Singh in 1990 against Haryana remains largely unverified due to incomplete records from that period.
Madhya Pradesh’s Rajat Patidar delivered an impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy, scoring one of the fastest centuries in the tournament’s history, an achievement that may boost his retention prospects with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Patidar’s knock came just days before the IPL player retention deadline, putting him squarely on RCB’s radar as they evaluate which players to keep for the upcoming season.
Batting at No. 3 on the final day against Haryana, Patidar reached his century in just 68 balls, surpassing the Madhya Pradesh record previously held by Naman Ojha, who scored a century off 69 balls against Karnataka in 2015. Patidar’s explosive innings continued until he was dismissed for 159 runs from 102 balls, with 13 boundaries and seven sixes, resulting in an impressive strike rate of 155.88.
While his innings is among the fastest in Ranji Trophy history, the overall record still belongs to Rishabh Pant, who smashed a century in only 48 balls. Additionally, an unofficial 45-ball century by Himachal Pradesh’s Shakti Singh in 1990 against Haryana remains largely unverified due to incomplete records from that period.
Patidar’s century has arrived at a crucial time, as RCB’s management finalizes its retention list ahead of the deadline. It appears likely that stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj will be retained, but Patidar’s powerful recent performances, combined with his solid IPL stats, may make him a strong candidate as well. In the 2024 IPL season, Patidar played 15 matches for RCB, scoring 395 runs with an impressive strike rate of 177.13, excelling particularly against spinners.
Though he made his Test debut against England earlier this year, Patidar had a challenging stint, scoring only 63 runs across six innings, and he was subsequently omitted from the Test squad. Despite this setback, his domestic and IPL performances continue to bolster his reputation as a skilled, aggressive batsman, making him a potential asset for RCB as they finalize their lineup for the next IPL season.
