On Thursday, February 13, 2025, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked Rajat Patidar as its new commander for the forthcoming 2025 Indian Premier League season.
In a video message on X, Virat Kohli, the former commander of the RCB and a star batsman, stated, “Myself and the other team members will be right behind you.”
“You have earned a place in the hearts of all RCB fans as a result of your performance and the way you have grown in this franchise.” Kohli further stated, “This is exceptionally well-deserved.”
In 2021, RCB inked Patidar. The right-handed batter has appeared in 27 IPL games for the franchise, scoring 799 runs at an average of 34.74.
Patidar, who has led Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, was one of the players that RCB retained prior to the auction.
Madhya Pradesh made it to the SMAT final, where they were defeated by Mumbai by five wickets, under the leadership of the 31-year-old Patidar.
Additionally, he was the second-highest run-scorer, trailing only Ajinkya Rahane, with 428 runs from 10 matches, an average of 61, and a strike rate of 186.08.
