Rajat Patidar: The cool RCB captain whose strength lies in his composure

File photo of RCB captain Rajat Patidar. TimesofIndia.com in Dharamsala: For a long time, Rajat Patidar’s career seemed to be defined by one phrase: “so close, yet so far”.The fast-paced batsman has been scoring heaps of runs in domestic cricket with little credit. After a poor IPL in 2021, he was even released by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and who would have thought that four years later he would lead them to the title and end an 18-year drought. In IPL 2022, when RCB came calling, they approached him as a mid-season replacement for the injured Luvnith Sisodia. Patidar, who played divisional cricket in Indore, was not convinced as his wedding date was fixed and he was not too sure whether he would get a chance to play or not. Fortunately for him, he was given good advice by former Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma, who has been friends with the Patidar for almost two decades.“I begged him, ‘Bhai tu ja 100 pratishat khilayenge (Please go, you will play 100 per cent),” says Sharma.Patidar ended IPL 2022 with 333 runs from eight innings at an impressive rate of 152.50. His outstanding performances included a breathtaking 112 off 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator. Although RCB’s campaign ended in the very next game, he carried on his rich form with a fluent 58 in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals. A few weeks later, he completed his dream run by smashing a match-winning century for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy final.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar plays a shot during practice ahead of the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala. (PTI)

IPL 2022 turned out to be a game changer for Patidar. He made his ODI debut and received his first Test call-up against England the following year. He played three test matches without much success before being ruled out by an Achilles injury. He also missed IPL 2023 due to injury.Speaking about Rajat Patidar’s journey, former Indian cricketer Amay Khurasia, who is also the 32-year-old’s mentor, says, “Kai baar pankh aur hausle dono hote hain magar udne ke liye aasman nahi hota (Sometimes you have wings and you have the courage to fly) but you don’t have it.Despite poor returns at international level, Patidar found his wings and spread them in his own sky.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar during training. (PTI)

Ahead of IPL 2025, Rajat Patidar’s appointment as RCB captain raised a few eyebrows. But he stuck to his business, scoring impressive runs with the bat and his tactical acumen helped RCB win the trophy, something even the likes of Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis failed to do.“To be honest, I don’t need to do anything extra,” said Patidar when asked what has changed in his captaincy since last year’s triumph in Ahmedabad.“Our management, coaches and senior players have a lot of experience and that helps me a lot as a leader. I get so many ideas from VK (Virat Kohli) bhai, Devdutt (Padikkal), Jitesh (Sharma), (Josh) Hazlewood and Tim David. I think their ideas and experience help me a lot.

Overall, I don’t need to change anything. My strength, my calm and the way I support my instincts, that’s what I do

Rajat Patidar

“I don’t need to do anything separately. I’m not as expressive as an individual. But with game awareness, I understand situations well. I communicate as much as I can so I can get more ideas of what we can do better. Overall, I don’t need to change anything. My strength, my composure and the way I support my instincts, that’s what I do.”While the Patidar may not agree, much has changed. Not only did his locks grow longer, but his confidence rose as well. On the eve of the IPL 2025 final, when most of the questions were directed at Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, Patidar was asked about Virat Kohli and the expectations from the fans.If last year the Patidar was still learning the ropes, now he seems to have mastered the art of addressing issues with confidence and self-assurance.

What is Rajat Patidar’s key strength as a captain?

“From the very start of the season, we’ve just focused on winning every game. If we win here, the team will be well rested before the final, which is important and I think everyone is looking forward to that,” he said.MS Dhoni (2010, 2011) and Rohit Sharma (2019, 2020) remain the only captains to lead their teams to back-to-back IPL titles. Now Rajat Patidar is two wins away from adding his name to this exclusive club.