‘Rajat Patidar must be up front’: Michael Clarke backs RCB skipper for India challenge

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar (AP Photo) Rajat Patidar’s rise as one of the most influential figures in the IPL continued in 2026 as he led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second consecutive title. The RCB captain not only led the franchise from the front but also played an important role with the bat and helped his side successfully defend the crown they had won a year earlier.Patidar enjoyed another outstanding season in the middle order, scoring 501 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 192.69. Time and again, he came through in pressure situations, whether stabilizing the innings after early wickets or launching counter-attacks when RCB needed quick runs.Despite these contributions, former Australia captain Michael Clarke feels that Patidar’s performances have not received the recognition they deserve.Speaking on the Beyond23 cricket podcast, Clarke named the RCB skipper as one of the most underrated performers of IPL 2026, saying that Virat Kohli’s presence often means other key contributors receive less attention.“Patidar again had a stellar tournament and is my under-the-radar player. Virat Kohli, who is in the team, will always be the most talked about player. But Patidar has done an exceptional job with the way he leads and gets the best out of all his players. His own performance, batting in a tough middle order, was fantastic,” Clarke said.The Patidar leadership has grown significantly over the last two seasons. Under his leadership, RCB has transformed from a team that was chasing its first title for years to a team that is now winning back-to-back championships.According to Clarke, these achievements should put the 31-year-old firmly in the discussions for India’s T20 side.“Although he is 31, he is the talk of the Indian T20 team. I don’t know if he will captain India but he has leadership qualities. His middle-order batting has been phenomenal. Batting at No.4 is the toughest in T20 and he gets into position and just explodes,” he added.The former Australian captain believes that Patidar’s value goes beyond his batting. According to Clarke, captaining a side to back-to-back IPL titles is an achievement that selectors simply cannot overlook.While the competition for places in Indian cricket remains intense, Clarke feels the Patidar have done enough to get to the front of the queue for opportunities with the ball.“India has a lot of talent at the moment and a number of them are fighting to make it into the Indian team from this IPL. But if you are the captain of a team that wins back-to-back IPL tournaments, the BCCI and the Indian selectors need to talk about him. His name needs to be in the queue in T20s and he could even be looked at in ODI cricket.”With 501 runs, a strike rate approaching 200 and another IPL trophy as captain, Patidar’s case is certainly difficult to ignore. Whether that translates into a recall from India remains to be seen, but Clarke believes the RCB skipper has earned the right to be part of that conversation.