Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens tonight, the roar of 68,000 fans will herald the start of IPL 2025.
Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s new captain. A young batter with zero international caps, leading a franchise. When RCB dropped the captaincy bombshell last week, social media erupted. Why replace Faf du Plessis, a seasoned T20 globetrotter, with an uncapped Indian middle-order batter? while, Faf du Plessis has been appointed as vice-captain of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025.
From Underdog to Captaincy: Rajat Patidar’s RCB Revolution Begins!
Source: Royal Challengers Bengaluru x.com🚨 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿 – 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 🚨
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 13, 2025
The journey of self-belief. That blessed feeling. This opportunity. Hear all about it from the Man of the Hour, the calm, the balanced, and extremely likeable,… pic.twitter.com/6L5OdbmUDR
With Kohli stepping back from leadership and Faf, RCB’s management wanted a leader unburdened by past scars. Patidar, with his underdog grit, fit the bill. Analytics revealed Patidar’s 2023-24 stats – a 148.6 strike rate against spin and 72% match-winning contributions – outperformed even KL Rahul in clutch moments. Teammates leaked stories of Patidar’s dressing-room speeches during IPL 2024’s crunch games. “He’s the guy you want in your trench,” said Glenn Maxwell in a podcast last month.
Rajat Patidar IPL 2024 Stats
In IPL 2024, Rajat Patidar played 15 matches for RCB, scoring 395 runs in 13 innings at an average of 30.38 and a strike rate of 177.13.
Rajat Patidar Overall IPL Stats:
| Year | Innings | Runs | Balls | Outs | Avg | SR | HS | 50 | 100 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4 | 71 | 62 | 4 | 17.8 | 114.5 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2022 | 7 | 333 | 218 | 6 | 55.5 | 152.8 | 112 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 18 |
| 2024 | 13 | 395 | 223 | 13 | 30.4 | 177.1 | 55 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 33 |
| Total | 24 | 799 | 503 | 23 | 34.7 | 158.8 | 112 | 7 | 1 | 51 | 54 |
Rajat Patidar IPL Action Price History
| YEAR | PRICE | TEAM |
| 2021 | 20.0 Lakh | Bangalore |
| 2023 | 20.0 Lakh | Bangalore |
| 2024 | 20.0 Lakh | Bangalore |
| 2025 | 11.00 Cr | Bangalore |
Final Word: Why This Matters
Rajat Patidar isn’t just RCB’s captain – he’s a symbol of every underdog who’s been written off. In a league obsessed with star power, his rise whispers: “Talent doesn’t need a blue tick.” Win or lose, IPL 2025 will be his defining chapter.
