Rajat Patidar entered the race for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's next captain after famously leading Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 final. Ahead of his team's final against Mumbai on Sunday, the star cricketer expressed his desire to captain RCB in the IPL 2025.
Fans were not surprised when the Bengaluru-based franchise retained Patidar for Rs 11 crore ahead of the mega auction last month. Patidar played a crucial role in helping RCB secure the playoff qualification last season by smashing 395 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 177.13.
Patidar, 31, continued his impressive run with the bat in domestic cricket tournaments Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but lately has impressed with his leadership skills as well. RCB released their captain Faf du Plessis ahead of the mega auction and since then the fans have been speculating about Patidar's name for the role in the 2025 season.
When asked about his interest in captaining RCB in 2025, the right-handed batter said he is ready to lead the franchise and has learnt the leadership tactics from his coach Chandrakant Pandit.
"Of course, if I get an opportunity to lead RCB, that is what I am there for, and I will be happy," Rajat Patidar was quoted as saying by PTI. "But it all depends on the franchise. I have learnt a lot out of it. I have enjoyed learning the tactics. I love seeing players and anticipating what they can do.
"I have learnt a lot about captaincy from my coach Chandrakant Pandit. Everybody knows that he is the best coach in India."
Meanwhile, fans are also suggesting Virat Kohli's name for the captaincy but the player is unlikely to return to the role in 2025. New signings Phil Salt and Bhuvneshar Kumar are also in the race for the captaincy role with the former recently leading England in white-ball cricket.
