After being released from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and going unsold in the 2022 IPL auction, Rajat Patidar has turned the tides in his favor and is now the captain of RCB for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.

The 31-year-old middle-order batsman was among the most consistent performers for RCB in IPL 2024.

Rajat Patidar Appointed RCB Captain for IPL 2025

Rajat Patidar has been appointed as the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the upcoming 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL)

The announcement was made by the franchise at an event at the KSCA on Thursday

Rajat Patidar was one of the three players retained by the franchise before the 2025 Mega Auction but no one expected the 31-year-old to be named the captain of RCB for the 2025 season.

When Faf Du Plessis was not retained nor bought back in the 2025 Mega auction, it was clear that RCB was on the lookout for a new captain in the Mega Auction.

Players like KL Rahul and Rishab Pant were being speculated before the Mega auction to join RCB to fill the captaincy void.

The proud franchise with the most fan following has been desperately seeking their maiden IPL title.

Rajat Patidar’s Journey to Becoming RCB Captain

Rajat Patidar appointed as the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the upcoming 2025 season

Rajat Patidar has been with the RCB franchise since his debut in 2021 and played some huge match-winning knocks for his franchise. RCB franchise was always full of international superstars but Rajat did manage to leave his own mark as a performer in almost all the 27 games he played for his franchise.

In the 2022 auction, Rajat was surprisingly not retained and went unsold in the following auction held for the season. But an unfortunate injury to Luvnith Sisodia saw the Franchise bringing Rajat Patidar back into RCB as an injury replacement.

Since then there has been no looking back for this player

He made a strong case for himself in his comeback year with 333 runs in 8 innings, including a century making him an integral part of the side since.

Rajat Patidar has lead Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket.

In the 27 games played in IPL, Rajat scored an impressive 799 runs with an astonishing strike rate of 158.85.

Though his performance for RCB has been impressive, Rajat always flew under the radar in a team that included Virat Kohli, Faf Duplessis, and Glen Maxwell.

As a middle-order Batsman, Rajat has been impressive both against pace and spin making him the perfect no 3 or 4 for his side.

He could change gears and use the long handle whenever needed. A strike rate of 158.8 is testimony to his power game as well.

IPL 2025 Retention & Captaincy

Before the 2025 IPL Mega Auction, RCB retained only three players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal. Rajat was retained for Rs 11 crore.

From being released by RCB as a player to becoming a captain is true to the IPL motto which is “Where talent meets opportunity”.

Rajat will be the eighth player in IPL history to lead the RCB franchise.

While rumors were circulating about Virat Kohli reclaiming the captaincy, the appointment of Rajat Patidar as RCB’s new captain has put all speculation to rest.

Is the IPL Title Loading this year?

RCB’s IPL Performance Year-Wise

Key Highlights

• RCB made the playoffs in 2015
• RCB were runners-up in 2016 and 2011
• Kohli Score scored a record 973 runs in 2016.
• RCB reached the playoffs stage in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024 season.

Can Rajat Patidar Lead RCB to Their Maiden IPL Title?

With a strong IPL 2025 squad, a powerful batting lineup, and a fresh leader in Rajat Patidar, fans are eagerly waiting to see if RCB can finally lift their first-ever IPL trophy this season