GUWAHATI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have appointed Rajat Patidar as their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the franchise announced at an event held at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on February 13, Thursday.
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With the release of former skipper Faf du Plessis, RCB was in search of a new leader for the 2025 season. Patidar, who guided Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final earlier this season, has now become the eighth captain in the franchise's history.
Reflecting on his appointment, Patidar revealed that discussions about his potential leadership role began last year. "I had a conversation with Mo [RCB's Director of Cricket, Bobat], where he asked if I was interested in captaincy. I told him I’d first like to captain my state team before taking on such a role at RCB. That conversation gave me a hint, and now, looking back at my IPL journey, it feels surreal," he said.
Patidar made his IPL debut in 2021 and has since played 27 matches for RCB, scoring 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85. Despite being released ahead of the 2022 season and going unsold at the auction, he returned to the squad as an injury replacement for Luvinth Sisodia and made an immediate impact. His 333 runs in eight innings, including a century, cemented his place in the team.
Ahead of the 2025 season, RCB retained Patidar for ₹11 crore, alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal. His appointment signals a new era for the franchise, which has previously been led by Kohli and du Plessis.
Kohli first captained RCB in 2011 as a stand-in for Daniel Vettori before taking over full-time in 2012. Under his leadership, the team reached the playoffs in 2015, finished as runners-up in 2016, and made it to the postseason in 2020 and 2021. After Kohli stepped down, du Plessis took over, guiding RCB to the playoffs twice between 2022 and 2024. Kohli also led the team in three matches in 2023 when du Plessis was recovering from a rib injury.
With a fresh leader at the helm, RCB will be aiming for their maiden IPL title in the 2025 season.
