TimesofIndia.com in Dharamsala: for a long time, Rajat PatidarThe career seemed to be defined by one phrase: “So close, yet.”The flamboyant batsman was scoring runs with little recognition in domestic cricket. After a poor IPL In 2021, he was also released by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and who would have thought that four years later, he would lead them to a title, ending an 18-year drought. In IPL 2022, when RCB came calling, they approached him as a mid-season replacement for the injured Lonth Sisodia. Patidar, who was playing division cricket in Indore, was in disbelief as his wedding date had been fixed and he was not even sure if he would get a chance to play. Fortunately for him, he was well advised by former Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma, who has been friends with the Patidars for nearly two decades.Sharma says, “I begged him, ‘Bhai tum ja 100 pratesh khilain (please go, you will play one hundred percent)’.”Patidar ended IPL 2022 with 333 runs in eight innings at an impressive strike rate of 152.50. Among his outstanding performances was a brilliant innings of 112 off 54 balls against Lucknow Supergiants in the Eliminator. Although RCB’s campaign ended in the very next game, he continued his prolific form with a fluent 58 in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals. A few weeks later, he fulfilled his dream by scoring a match-winning century for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy final.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar plays a shot during a practice session ahead of IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala. (PTI)
IPL 2022 turned out to be a game changer for Patidars. 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 an Achilles injury ruled him out. He was also ruled out of IPL 2023 due to injury.Talking about Rajat Patidar’s journey, former India cricketer Umay Khurasia, who is also the 32-year-old’s mentor, says, “Sometimes you have wings and courage but no sky to fly (sometimes you have wings and guts but no sky).”Despite a poor return at the international level, Patidar has found his wings and spread them in his own sky.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar during a practice session. (PTI)
Ahead of IPL 2025, Rajat Patidar’s appointment as RCB captain raised some eyebrows. But he stuck to his business, scored impressive runs with the bat and helped RCB win the trophy with his strategy, even as the likes of Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis failed to do so.“To be honest, I don’t need to do anything extra,” Patidar said in response to what has changed in his captaincy since last year’s victory in Ahmedabad.“Our management, coaching staff and senior players have a lot of experience and that is helping me a lot as a leader. I got a lot of ideas from VK (Virat Kohli) Bhai, Dev Dutt (Pedikal), Jitesh (Sharma), (Josh) Hazlewood and Tim David. I think their ideas and experience are helping me a lot.
Overall, I don’t need to change anything. My strength, my peace, and the way I return my instincts, that’s what I’m doing.
Rajat Patidar
“I don’t need to do anything separately. I’m not as expressive as I am individually. But with game awareness, I understand situations well. I communicate as much as possible so I can get more ideas on what we can do better. Overall, I don’t need to change anything. My strength, my calmness, and the way I bring back my instincts, that’s what I’m doing.”Even if Patidars disagree, a lot has changed. Not only have her locks grown longer, but her confidence has also grown. 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 fans’ expectations.If last year Patidars were still learning the ropes, now they seem to have mastered the art of handling queries with assurance and grace.“Since the beginning of the season, our focus has been on winning every game,” he said. If we win here, the team will get a good break before the final which is important and I think everyone is looking forward to it.MS Dhoni (2010, 2011) and Rohit Sharma (2019, 2020) are 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 that exclusive club.
