Some captains inherit dynasties. Rajat Patidar inherited 18 years of baggage and turned it into a winning formula
Archan Mehta
As Royal Challengers Bengaluru prepare for a second consecutive IPL final, the spotlight naturally drifts towards Virat Kohli’s enduring brilliance, Tim David’s finishing power, or Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s control with the ball. Yet the defining story of this RCB revival belongs to a soft-spoken batter from Indore who has quietly reshaped both himself and the franchise. Patidar’s rise from an unsold player in the 2022 auction to the captain of the IPL’s most consistent team is not simply a tale of resilience; it is a story of technical evolution, leadership maturity and structural transformation.
Patidar’s cricket journey began far from the glamour of the IPL. Raised in a financially secure family in Indore, cricket was a choice rather than an economic necessity. Interestingly, he started out as an off-spinner before former India batter Amay Khurasiya identified qualities that would define his future: exceptional hand-eye coordination, balance at the crease and a naturally fluent bat swing. The decision to convert him into a batter proved to be a turning point, not only for Patidar but also for Madhya Pradesh cricket.
Domestic cricket became the foundation of his growth. Across a first-class career worth more than 5,400 runs at an average approaching 46, Patidar developed a rare versatility. He could grind attacks down over long innings, evidenced by a double century against Punjab without a single six, while also possessing the ability to shift gears dramatically, highlighted by his 68-ball Ranji Trophy hundred against Haryana. By the time he led Madhya Pradesh to its historic Ranji Trophy triumph in 2022, he had already built a game sophisticated enough for the highest level.
Ironically, his IPL breakthrough arrived only after rejection. His first season with RCB in 2021 yielded just 71 runs and resulted in his release. Worse followed when he went unsold in the 2022 mega auction. For many players, that would have been the end of the road. Instead, fate intervened when an injury to Luvnith Sisodia opened a replacement slot at RCB. Patidar, reportedly preparing for his wedding, accepted the late call-up and altered the trajectory of his career.
The response was immediate. His unbeaten 112 against Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 Eliminator remains one of the most iconic playoff innings in IPL history, making him the first uncapped player to score a century in the knockouts. Yet the next challenge arrived quickly. An Achilles injury ruled him out of the entire 2023 season and threatened to halt his momentum. Rehabilitation, however, became another chapter of growth. He returned stronger in 2024, and by 2025 RCB had handed him one of the most scrutinised jobs in franchise cricket: captaincy.
When RCB handed Patidar the captaincy in 2025, replacing high-profile leaders like Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, skepticism was inevitable. But Patidar’s strength lay in clarity rather than celebrity. Working closely with Andy Flower, Mo Bobat and Dinesh Karthik, he built a collaborative culture that ended RCB’s 18-year title drought. Simultaneously, his batting evolved into a formidable weapon, producing 486 runs at a strike rate of nearly 197 this season, highlighted by a stunning 93* off 33 balls against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.
That innings against GT also symbolised RCB’s larger transformation. For years, the franchise revolved around individual brilliance. Today, it thrives on structure. Kohli remains central, but he is no longer carrying the weight alone. The batting has depth, the bowling has discipline and the leadership has stability. Patidar has become the bridge between RCB’s emotional past and its methodical present.
His record reflects that shift. With 21 wins in 31 matches, Patidar’s 77 percent win rate is the highest among IPL captains with more than one season in charge. More importantly, he has turned RCB from perennial entertainers into serial contenders.
The remarkable part isn’t that Rajat Patidar changed RCB. It’s that he did it so quietly that the rest of the IPL only noticed after the blueprint was already complete.
Archan Mehta is a writer dedicated to telling compelling stories about athletes, teams, and the world of cricket
