BENGALURU: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have appointed Rajat Patidar as their new captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The announcement was made by the franchise at an event held at the Karnataka State Cricket Association on Thursday, February 13.
The 31-year-old middle-order batter will take over the leadership role after Faf du Plessis was released from the squad after last season. Patidar, who led Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season, is set to become the eighth captain in RCB's history.
Patidar made his IPL debut in 2021 and has since been a part of the Bengaluru-based franchise. He has played 27 matches, scoring 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85. Ahead of the mega auction, he was one of RCB’s three retentions—alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal—and was retained for INR 11 Crore.
He was released from the squad ahead of the 2022 season and went unsold at the auction. However, an injury to Luvinth Sisodia during the season brought him back as a replacement player. Patidar made a strong impression, scoring 333 runs in 8 innings, including a century, and has remained an integral part of the side since then.
Virat Kohli, who captained RCB from 2012 to 2021, congratulated Patidar on his appointment. “Rajat, firstly, I want to congratulate you, wish you all the very best, and to tell you that the way you have grown in this franchise and the way you have performed, you have really made a place in the hearts of all the fans of RCB all over India, and they get really excited to watch you play,” Kohli said.
RCB made the playoffs in 2015, 2020, and 2021 under Kohli’s captaincy and finished as runners-up in 2016. The team also reached the playoffs in the 2022-24 cycle, with du Plessis leading the side. Kohli also captained three matches in 2023, standing in for du Plessis, who was recovering from a rib injury.
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