Rajat Patidar named RCB Captain for IPL 2025: Becomes franchise’s 8th skipper
PTC Web Desk: In a bold move, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) appointed Rajat Patidar as their new captain for the IPL 2025 season on Thursday. Patidar, who has been associated with RCB since 2021, becomes the franchise's eighth captain in IPL history.
The 31-year-old Madhya Pradesh batter first joined RCB as a replacement player in 2022 after being released the previous season. He quickly made a mark by scoring an unbeaten 112 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants, becoming the first uncapped player to score a century in an IPL playoff. In the 2024 season, Rajat Patidar played 15 matches, amassing 395 runs with five half-centuries, helping RCB reach the playoffs before bowing out in the Eliminator round.
Welcome to your Raj, Ra-pa. ????
The baton has been passed, and your name has made it to the history books.
It’s time for a new chapter! Let’s give the best fans in the world what they’ve been waiting for all these years. ???? #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBCaptain #Rajat #RajatPatidar… pic.twitter.com/AKwjM9bnsq — Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 13, 2025
Ahead of the 2025 auction, RCB retained Patidar along with Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal, while parting ways with Faf du Plessis, who captained the team from 2022. Patidar’s leadership potential was evident as he guided Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, scoring 428 runs in 10 matches with an impressive strike rate of 186.08, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer.
Although there were speculations about Virat Kohli returning as captain, RCB chose Patidar, reflecting confidence in his leadership abilities and consistent performance.
- With inputs from agencies
