Rajat Patidar is RCB's new captain (Source: @imkevin149/X.com)
In a futuristic move, 31-year-old, Rajat Patidar, has been named the new captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This decision comes after Faf du Plessis, who had been the team captain in the past, was released ahead of the 2025 season.
While numerous speculations revolved around Virat Kohli's re-appointment as RCB's captain, the decision to pick Patidar as RCB's new leader highlights the franchise's desire to inject a new direction to the leadership of RCB.
Rajat Patidar Captaincy Record
This will be Rajat Patidar’s first IPL captaincy role, but he previously captained Madhya Pradesh in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. These tournaments marked his first full-time captaincy assignments in domestic cricket, where he led his state team successfully in both the 20-over and 50-over formats. He led his team to the finals in SMAT 2024 and in the VHT, MP finished third in group E, thereby narrowly failing to qualify for the quarter finals.
Rajat Patidar Stats And India Debut
After making his debut in IPL 2021 and featuring in 27 games for RCB, the Bengaluru-based franchise retained Patidar for INR 11 crore before the 2025 mega-auctions. He has accumulated 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85. His highest score has been 112*, which came against Lucknow Super Giants back in 2022.
Rajat Patidar’s consistent performances in domestic cricket and the IPL earned him a call-up to the national side. In October 2023, he was named in India’s ODI squad for series against South Africa and New Zealand, though he didn’t play. Patidar made his ODI debut in December 2023, scoring 22 runs from 16 balls against South Africa.
In January 2024, he replaced Virat Kohli for the first two Test matches against England. Patidar made his Test debut on February 2, 2024, scoring 32 and 9 runs in the second Test, showcasing his adaptability across formats.
RCB's IPL 2025 Squad
Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee
 "Muskaan Bhatt")
