3 Reasons Why RCB Appointing Patidar As Captain Over Kohli Was The Smart Move

Anurag Dasgupta

Why RCB made the right move with Patidar [Source: @ImTanujSingh/X.com]Why RCB made the right move with Patidar [Source: @ImTanujSingh/X.com]

So, the wait is over and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have appointed Rajat Patidar as their next IPL captain. There was a lot of talk over Virat Kohli, the former skipper once again getting appointed as the captain of the team, but the RCB management sprung a surprise and picked Patidar as their next leader.

In the IPL 2025 mega auction, the franchise decided not to pick a captain for the upcoming season and eyebrows were raised as people expected the team to once again go back to Kohli. However, this was a refreshing move by the Bengaluru based team and here are 3 key reasons why picking Patidar over Kohli was the smart choice.

1) Patidar has done well as captain in the past

Now, Patidar has zero experience of leading a franchise in the IPL, however, he has excellent leadership qualities and it was showcased in the Syed Mushtaq Ali (SMAT) where he took Madhya Pradesh to the finals of the competition.

As a leader, he was proactive, was quick with his decision making and it worked wonders for MP as they reached the finals, but unfortunately lost against a well-rounded Mumbai squad. A brilliant example of his captaincy is the way he handled the scenario in the SMAT semis Vs Delhi.

Delhi top order batter, Priyansh Arya loves pace on the ball and to counter that threat, Patidar brought in Kumar Kartikeya and the moved paved off as the spinner instantly dismissed the batter.

2) Captaincy doesn't affect his batting

Patidar stats from SMAT 2024-25

Criterion
Data
Matches Played10
Runs scored428
Strike-rate
186.08
50s5

Captaincy doesn't affect his batting and it was evident during the SMAT 2024-25 season. As the leader, he led from the front and at the same time made sure his performance wasn't affected.

With the bat, he slammed 428 runs in 10 matches, at a strike-rate of 186, including 5 blistering fifties. He played for the team and racked up runs for the fun as MP reached the finals, courtesy of Patidar's exploits.

3) Why look back at past when future is bright

After the 2021 IPL season, Virat Kohli left the position of RCB's captaincy and the main reason was that he wanted to concentrate on his batting and wanted to enjoy the moment with the franchise.

Captaincy was taking a toll on his batting, and was putting a lot of pressure on his mind. Now, Kohli is in the twilight of his career and going back to him would have been a disaster. Instead, the franchise thought about the present and the future and looked at Patidar as someone who has leadership abilities and can lead the team with utmost calm.