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By winning the second title with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the skipper in back-to-back seasons, Rajat Patidar has proved his leadership qualities. From being only a replacement batter to becoming the trophy-winning leader of the team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was never been as easy task for him.
While the league has become home for multiple young stars, Rajat Patidar is now 33, and probably only a few seasons are left for him to stink in his prime. Ahead of the IPL 2027 season, RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat hinted at who could be their next captain, the successor of their legendary skipper.
Mo Bobat is impressed with Devdutt Padikkal
Mo Bobat heaped praised Devdutt Padikkal, who also played his part well with the bat behind RCB’s triumphant 2026 season. As Virat Kohli performed as an opener throughout the season, Devdutt Padikkal cemented his place at the number three position of the playing combination.
Padikkal, who is mostly known for tenacious batting skills and a seasoned campaigner in the Ranji Trophy, bolstered his strike rate during the previous season with RCB. As the number 3 batter of the team, Devdutt Padikkal registered 464 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 168.72 in the IPL 2026 season.
Devdutt Padikkal cemented his place as the No. 3 batter
Bobat said that with Virat and Phil Salt at the top of the batting order, an explosive start was guaranteed for them. The one down position was the concern for them, and Devdutt Padikkal lived up to the expectations by playing some pure aggressive knocks.
“We wanted him to really push the boundaries of his intent, and to really deliver an impact. We had Salty (Salt) and Virat going pretty hard at the top, and we wanted Dev (Padikkal) to continue that momentum when he came to the crease."
"And to his credit, he's totally bought into that and embraced that. And he's batted very selflessly, and I think that's huge credit to Dev,” Mo Bobat said, speaking on the 'RCB's Trophy Quest' documentary on the team's official YouTube channel.
Who will be RCB's next captain after Rajat Patidar?
The following part of the video turned more interesting as the franchise’s Director of Cricket provided a hint about Rajat Patidar’s successor. Praising Padikkal, Mo Bobat mentioned the batter as someone who possesses leadership qualities.
"I've also been really impressed with him as a character. I think he's very leaderful, actually. I think he's a potential captain of the future,” Bobat stated. Because of his age and being one of the loyal members in RCB’s current squad, Padikkal fits the role if the team management considers him as their next captain.
Bengaluru’s mentor and batting coach, Dinesh Karthik, acknowledged that being a local cricketer of the city, Devdutt Padikkal is famous among the fans, and he is an extraordinary performer as well.
He's been an extraordinary performer. First, he's the only one on this team having the pleasure of being a local. He represents Bengaluru. And he's a thorough Bengaluru man. He embodies it. He's able to assess and understand game situations exceedingly well for a man of his age.
