Rajat Patidar’s calm leadership and effective batting have made him a pivotal figure for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this IPL season, earning praise from former head coach and JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Bangar acknowledged the challenges of a middle-order batter in T20 cricket but emphasized Patidar’s ability to stay composed and impactful, regardless of limited opportunities at the crease.
“Sometimes it’s just about the number of balls you get to face. If the top order is doing well, your chances are limited. Also, being surrounded by top performers means you shouldn’t read too much into three or four failures,” Bangar noted.
Patidar, who took over the RCB captaincy for IPL 2025, has impressed with tactical decisions and maturity beyond his years, especially in crunch situations. Bangar added:
“Rajat has embraced responsibility really well. His captaincy has been spot on. He started the season strong with the bat and continues to impress whenever he’s spent time at the crease.”
While RCB’s recent clash against KKR was washed out, the shared point helped RCB climb to the top of the points table with 17 points from 12 matches (8 wins, 3 losses, 1 no result). They now need just one more point to secure their spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs.
Their next match—a crucial home encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday—offers a golden opportunity to lock in their qualification.
🔴 RCB Squad – IPL 2025:
- Captain: Rajat Patidar
- Key Players: Virat Kohli, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- All-round Options: Romario Shepherd, Liam Livingstone
- Bowling Core: Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
- Backups & Youngsters: Jacob Bethell, Mayank Agarwal, Philip Salt, Mohit Rathee, Swapnil Singh, Rasikh Dar, Abhinandan Singh, Swastik Chikara, Manoj Bhandage, Nuwan Thushara
As the IPL 2025 playoffs draw closer, all eyes are on Rajat Patidar and his ability to lead RCB to their long-awaited maiden IPL title.