Mullanpur (Maharashtra) [India]: All eyes will be on Rajat Patidar, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper, as his side gears up for a crucial Qualifier One encounter against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Thursday. The winner of this high-stakes clash will earn a direct ticket to the IPL 2025 final.
Patidar, known for his aggressive play against spin, has recently experienced a dip in form following a strong start to the season. Despite the slump, the Madhya Pradesh batter has a reputation for thriving in pressure-filled knockout matches, making this a prime opportunity to rediscover his touch.
The 31-year-old made headlines in IPL 2022 when he smashed a blazing 49-ball century in the eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), propelling RCB to victory. In IPL knockout matches, Patidar boasts an impressive 204 runs in just three innings, averaging 102 with a strike rate of 173 — including both a century and a half-century.
His dominance extends beyond the IPL. For Madhya Pradesh, Patidar has been a consistent force in T20 knockout fixtures, never scoring below 25. Across six T20 knockout games (including state-level matches), he has amassed 379 runs at a stunning average of 126.33, with one century and three fifties. Notably, he scored 66 against Delhi* and 81 against Mumbai* in the semifinal and final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), respectively.
After a solid first half of IPL 2025 — 209 runs in six innings at an average of 34.83 and a strike rate of 157.14 — Patidar’s form declined sharply. In his next six innings, he managed only 62 runs, averaging 10.33, without a single score above 20. His season tally stands at 271 runs, with an average of 22.58 and a strike rate of 140.41, his highest being 64.
The big question: Can Patidar’s proven knockout temperament spark a much-needed comeback for RCB on Thursday?
Squads:
Punjab Kings:
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlett, Praveen Dubey, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Tim Seifert, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Blessing Muzarabani, Tim David, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh