Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seem to have transformed themselves. Having undergone a captaincy change before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, no one expected them to take the tournament by storm. Virat Kohli was expected to take over the leadership, but the RCB management went in a different direction and picked Rajat Patidar as their captain.
RCB was the signs
Many weren’t sold on him being named skipper over Kohli. But he had taken Madhya Pradesh to their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25 Final mere months ago. He shone bright, both as a batter and captain in the domestic T20 tournament.
His former teammate and Madhya Pradesh legend Devendra Bundela isn’t surprised by what Patidar has done for RCB. One can’t forget that he’s been playing competitive cricket for 10 years now. At 31, Patidar is a veteran. He’s learnt over the years and showed what he can do as a captain in SMAT.
“RCB are playing with a lot of positivity this season. Patidar has always been extremely keen to learn and attempts to grasp as much as possible in every situation. His captaincy skills were also witnessed during the 2024/25 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where Madhya Pradesh reached the tournament’s final. Patidar is extremely mature and confident as a captain,” Bundela told the Times of India.
MS Dhoni + Virat Kohli = Rajat Patidar
Patidar has shown a sense of calm on the field. He’s been unperturbed by missteps. Those losses at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium don’t concern him. And as a batter, he’s played aggressively as before. Captaincy doesn’t seem to be hindering him but rather aiding him.
Bundela feels that Patidar’s captaincy is a combination of two of India’s greatest captains, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He feels that he’s calm like the Chennai Super Kings captain but has the same aggression as Kohli. And as is the case with all cricketers, he’s got a hunger to win.
“His captaincy style is a mixture of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Patidar stays calm but is aggressive at the same time in terms of his intent and hunger to win,” Bundela added.
