New Delhi: As fireworks lit up the Ahmedabad sky and Royal Challengers Bangalore players celebrated yet another IPL victory, one man sat quietly in the stands, soaking in the moment.Abhishek Pathrod had found a place near the presentation stage, eagerly waiting for his childhood friend. Rajat Patidar. With the coveted trophy in his hands, Patidar walked straight to his childhood friend after the ceremony. The two embraced, their eyes brimming with emotion. It was a hug that reflected years of shared dreams, struggles and countless hours spent playing cricket together.“Dekha, jeet gaye. Kardiya na me,” Patidar said before giving Abhishek another hug.Abhishek, who played a significant amount of junior cricket with Patidar, couldn’t resist reminiscing his friend about the wonderful journey.“Yes, welcome, two-time IPL-winning captain’s injury replacement,” he replied, prompting laughter from both.Two years ago, Rajat Patidar was just another player in the RCB dressing room. He shared space with superstars like Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and several other big names, but he had no identity of his own on the IPL stage.Today the picture has completely changed.Now the only captain after Patidar. MS Dhoni And Rohit Sharma Winning back-to-back IPL titles as captain.“He didn’t know he equaled Rohit and Dhoni’s record, his teammates told him. I remember when he took over the captaincy, all of us friends got together and asked him, ‘Bhai, you haven’t won since 17 years, what about pressure?'” he said with a smile, “Kya pata this time” to lead the team to win the PL title. Patrod remembered.
Change of captaincyLeading RCB is a completely different challenge than captaining a team like Mumbai Indians or Chennai Super Kings. The franchise endured a 17-year trophy drought. But Patidar not only accepted the captaincy, but also elevated his batting – something that many great captains have struggled to achieve.Patidar’s childhood coach and mentor, Umay Khurasia, believes that the batsman always possesses leadership qualities, regardless of his lack of captaincy experience.“I’ve seen him from a very young age, I’ve seen him when he’s been in our camps and we’re very strategic, we’re very strategic about asking kids a lot of questions and he’s always had a different mindset and he doesn’t talk much, but whenever he does, he talks a lot.”“As a leader if you watch, he takes his chances, he takes his decisions and you’ll always see him accept them if they don’t go his way. If things don’t go his way, he will accept them,” he said.When the franchise first approached him about the captaincy in 2024, Patidar did not immediately accept the role. Pathrod said he wants to return to domestic cricket, captain teams there and understand if he is really ready for such an important responsibility.Patidar first captained domestic matches and later led Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. Although MP lost the final by five wickets, Patidar’s unbeaten 40-ball 81 stood out.When Patidar finally accepted the RCB captaincy, many around him felt that the decision was less about experience and more about personality. His composure was palpable.“Look at his style of batting and captaincy. Think Roger Federer – calm and composed. Rahul Dravid, calm and composed. Sachin Tendulkar, calm and composed. MS Dhoni. Patidar is very similar. But that doesn’t mean he’s not aggressive,” said Kharsiah. “He has always been one of those guys who is aggressive on the inside but never feels the need to show it. Rajat is the same, he is a man of few words, but whenever he speaks, he speaks with understanding.He added that it takes a lot of courage and aggression not to express one’s feelings. If you want to see his aggression, watch his batting and look into his eyes.Rajat Patidar: Not just Spin Bashir.Patidar ended the season with 501 runs at 41.75 and an average of 192.69. But, apart from his numerous contributions and contributions throughout the season, his explosive innings against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 perfectly showcased his growth as both a captain and a batsman. `
Long known as a player who dominated spin bowling, Patidar expanded his game further this season. He attacked both pace and spin with equal authority, striking at a breathtaking pace. That season, 283 of his 501 runs came against pace with a strike rate of 177.9, while his strike rate against spin was 201.8.Pathrod says this was a result of intense preparation that went into his batting ahead of the recent IPL season.“A lot of people call him the ‘Spin Destroyer’ here. That’s his nickname. But it’s not just spin. He hits both spinners and fast bowlers alike. He’s also had success against standard pace attacks,” Pathrod said.“Rajat bats for at least four hours every day at the Holkar Stadium (in Indore, Madhya Pradesh). Even now, he gives himself three to four hours of batting practice regularly. He plays spinners and fast bowlers, and he has expert throw-down bowlers. In this IPL, he destroyed fast bowlers too.” Pathru said that it took a lot of practice.Now, with RCB winning the title twice, Patidar’s place in the franchise’s history is firmly secured. If Kohli was the pillar around which RCB built their championship-winning teams, Patidar is the architect who turned those dreams into reality.And after back-to-back victories, who knows? A historic hat-trick of IPL titles may await Patidar and RCB in 2027.
