Rajat Patidar: The injury-turned-captain who changed RCB’s fortunes

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar (Image: For almost two decades, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have carried a burden that seemed impossible to shake off. Every season started with hope and ended with disappointment. ‘Ee sala cup namde’ became less of a rallying cry and more of a reminder of how elusive the IPL trophy remained.Then came the captain who no one saw coming.Quietly expressed away from the limelight and measured by his demeanor, Rajat Patidar never quite fit the image of a franchise-defining superstar. Still, under his leadership ‘Ee sala cup namdu’ finally became a reality.Now, with RCB one win away from defending the title, Patidar is on the verge of achieving something that only Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni have managed in IPL history.The journey from injury replacement to title winning captain was never meant to be like this.

The Reinvention of 2026

Most teams that have won a championship are trying to keep the success going. Patidar ensured that RCB remained contenders. If IPL 2025 was about ending the drought, IPL 2026 was about proving that it was not a fluke. The season showed further development in his leadership. His captaincy became sharper, his fielding more active and his leadership of the bowlers increasingly sophisticated. His batting has also reached another level.Patidar scored 486 runs in 14 matches, his highest score in the IPL campaign. He smashed 41 sixes and once again established himself as one of the most devastating middle-order batsmen in the competition. The calm, understated skipper continues to be the enforcer of RCB’s middle order.The defining moment came in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans. With a place in the final at stake, Patidar produced arguably the best innings of his captaincy career as he smashed an unbeaten 93 off just 33 deliveries. RCB posted a record playoff total and stormed into another IPL final.Now the injury replacement, who once went unsold at auction, is one win away from achieving something only MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have managed as IPL captains.

The captain who changed the fortunes of RCB

Along with batting coach Dinesh Karthik and head coach Andy Flower, Patidar helped transform RCB from a star-dependent side to one of the most complete teams in the IPL. The shot deepened. Bowling has become more structured. The locker room became less dependent on individual brilliance. In retrospect, it seems obvious. It wasn’t like that at the time.Ahead of IPL 2025, RCB faced a massive management dilemma. Faf du Plessis moved on. Virat Kohli was available but chose to continue without captaincy duties. Most expected the franchise to appoint a bigger international name.Instead, RCB put their faith in Patidar, who they retained for Rs 11 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. Patidar had already shown leadership when he captained Madhya Pradesh in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, where they eventually lost to Shreyas Iyer-led Mumbai.RCB bet on character rather than celebrity. It turned out to be one of the smartest decisions in franchise history.

RCB first picked Patidar in the IPL 2021 mini-auction for Rs 20 crore. The top batsman from Madhya Pradesh, who has already built a reputation in domestic cricket, will later play a key role in ending the state’s 69-year wait for a Ranji Trophy title.Playing for RCB in his first season, Patidar had a miserable outing. He got just four opportunities in the middle order and scored just 71 runs. He was subsequently released ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction where he remained unsold.A disappointed Patidar moved on from his IPL dreams and even set a wedding date of May 2022. Midway through the season, RCB wicketkeeper Luvnith Sisodia got injured. RCB head coach Mike Hesson called in Patidar as a replacement. Although Patidar later revealed that he initially did not want to start as he thought he would spend the entire season sitting on the bench, he eventually agreed after the insistence of his family.The rest is history.Patidar played eight matches and finished as one of the most successful uncapped players for RCB this season, scoring 333 runs, including a breathtaking 112* off 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator. He became the first uncapped player in IPL history to score a century in the playoffs.

The injury derailed almost everything

Just when the Patidar seemed poised to assert itself permanently, another setback came. Achilles heel injury completely ruled him out of IPL 2023. Missing the entire season was a huge blow. After recovering from the injury, he returned to domestic cricket and slowly rebuilt his career. After a successful domestic stint for Madhya Pradesh, he earned his ODI debut for India against South Africa in 2023, scoring 22 runs in the opening match. He later made his Test debut against England in 2024. He scored 63 runs in three matches.

The Rise of the Spin Basher

Patidar returned to RCB and enjoyed a full season in the middle order, scoring 395 runs in 15 matches. More importantly, he showed the cricketing world exactly what he is capable of. Rajat smashed 33 sixes during the season and earned a reputation as one of the best spin-hitters in the league. He ended the campaign with a staggering rate of 177.33, establishing himself as a genuine middle order match winner.By the time RCB entered the management transition phase, Patidar was no longer just a comeback story. He has become one of the most devastating middle-order batsmen in the tournament and one of the franchise’s most reliable players – and now an IPL-winning captain. In a franchise built around superstars, an overlooked home run batsman suddenly became a hero.