Rajat Patidar warns against calling RCB trophyless; claims they have won 1 trophy

Amidst the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) never-ending hunt for an IPL title, Rajat Patidar has added fuel to the fire in a way no one expected before the resumption of the IPL 2025 season on Saturday, May 17. RCB will host Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

While the men’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru team continues to chase the elusive IPL trophy since the inception of the lucrative T20 league, Rajat Patidar warned everyone against calling RCB trophyless, as the skipper reminded them of the women’s team’s WPL triumph.

Rajat Patidar shuts down 'trophyless' jibes, reminds everyone of RCB Women’s WPL glory

Reacting to the constant talk around the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title drought, Patidar shifted the narrative by highlighting Smriti Mandhana and her team’s Women’s Premier League success in 2024, calling it a proud achievement and source of inspiration for the men’s team.

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Furthermore, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain also opened up about his emotional connection with the franchise, revealing how legends like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle drew him to the side years ago.

Now, from being a fan to captaining the side, Patidar's mission is to break the curse — and he’s clearly not short on belief.

Ever since I have been watching IPL, I have liked RCB: Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar told Mayanti Langer on the RCB Podcast, “We have one trophy. The women's team has won it (WPL). It's a big inspiration for us. We have one trophy, so no one can say that we don't have a trophy. When I got the captaincy, I realized that it is such a big franchise.

I also like RCB. Ever since I have been watching IPL, I have liked RCB because of Virat Bhai, ABD, and Gayle. I used to watch all of them on TV, so I wanted to play for RCB once in my life.”

Rajat doing just what needs to be done here "WE ARE NOT TROPHYLESS " 😭🤚pic.twitter.com/h5Td9jyqMa

— Flavia (@FlaviaNagpal) May 16, 2025

Question: Franchise is search of a Trophy for 18 years, we all know that story - but no captain has done before, you could be the first.

Rajat Patidar replied "We have one Trophy, the women's team has won it, it's a big inspiration for us, we have one Trophy, no one can say… pic.twitter.com/gdHXpkLRO2

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 16, 2025

Rajat Patidar opens up on RCB snub and the call that changed everything

Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar recalled the emotional rollercoaster of the 2022 season when he was left “sad” and “angry” after being overlooked by RCB despite giving hope of being picked. However, things took a dramatic turn when he was brought in later as a replacement for an injured player.

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After not getting selected in the mega auction, the Madhya Pradesh batter went back to playing local cricket in Indore. Soon after, he got a call from RCB to join as an injury replacement for Luvnith Sisodia. Patidar admitted that he wasn’t too happy about coming in as a backup, as he felt he wouldn’t get a chance to play and he didn’t want to warm the bench.

I was angry when RCB broke a promise: Rajat Patidar

Patidar signed off by saying, “I had gotten a message (ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022) that you should be ready... that we will pick you. But I wasn't picked in the mega auction. I was a little sad. When I got the call, I didn’t want to go. It was like, if they didn't pick me (during the auction), then I wouldn't get it (get to play). I was angry for a while, but then I was normal.”

Notably, RCB is currently sitting on the second spot on the IPL 2025 points table with 16 points from 11 games, and now they are just a couple of wins away from a top-two finish.