On becoming RCB captain,Virat Kohli sends special message to Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar, the 31-year-old middle-order batter, has been named Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) new captain for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. The announcement was made by the franchise on Thursday. Patidar is the eighth player to lead RCB, taking over from Faf du Plessis, who captained the side from 2022 to 2024.
Patidar has been with RCB since 2021, scoring 799 runs in 28 matches at a strike rate of 158.85. He was retained by RCB for INR 11 Crore ahead of the mega auctions. While this will be his first IPL captaincy, he led Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024-25.
Virat Kohli, who captained RCB from 2013 to 2021, conveyed to the RCB management that he would not be taking up the captaincy in IPL 2025. Kohli has pledged his support for Patidar.
Patidar made his IPL debut in 2021. After going unsold at the IPL auction, he was brought in mid-season by RCB to replace the injured LuvnithSisodia in 2022. He scored a blistering 112 off 49 balls in the IPL 2022 Eliminator.
With RCB appointing Patidar, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals are the only other teams yet to name their captains for the upcoming season.