The Royal Challengers Bengaluru came in to the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League with Rajat Patidar at the helm after the team let Faf du Plessis walk away in the auction. With talisman Virat Kohli taking a backseat on the leadership role, RCB caused some surprise by opting to ask Patidar to captain the team. But the gamble seems to be paying off, at least in the initial games of IPL 2025 with RCB currently on top of the IPL standings with two wins from two games, thanks to wins over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that RCB, a franchise which is yet to win the men’s IPL title despite being around for all the 17 completed seasons, could go all the way to the title.
“I have a feeling about RCB this year. I’ll tell you why, because of Rajat Patidar! His leadership in the last couple of games has been f*****g unbelievable! It has been so good!” Uthappa said on the The KimAppa show with cricket analyst Jarrod Kimber.
Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajat Patidar of Royal Challengers Bangalore during the Eliminator match of the TATA Indian Premier League 2022 (IPL season 15) between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Royal Challengers Bangalore held at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on the 25th May 2022. (Sportzpics)
“What I love about Patidar is proactiveness and the calmness in which he exercises his proactiveness. It’s so cool to see someone who’s leading a team for the first time on the IPL stage exercise the level of calm that he has exercised, right. He’s not reactive. He’s trusting the the processes.”
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Uthappa highlighted one moment from RCB’s first game vs KKR that highlighted Patidar’s confidence.
“The fact that he bought Suyash Sharma back into the attack when when Andre Russell came into bat (in the RCB vs KKR game), when he knew that Suyash has already already given 40 runs in three overs. He said (to Suyash) ‘I picked you to get this guy out. Now get this guy out, I need you to do it for me!’ To exercise that level of faith in your first game as a captain when your bowler has gone away for 40 runs in three overs… tells you he has the character. For me that defines that Patidar has got character.”
“Also the way he’s batting. He’s not taking pressure about being the captain. He’s going there and exercising his role as a batter which is to take the bowlers to the cleaners and be aggressive with them. He’s doing it with such panache. He’s doing it so, so well which is why I think that RCB have a greater chance of going beyond the playoffs this season.”
