Watch: Rajat Patidar issues an official statement after beating Virat Kohli for RCB captaincy

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) appointed Rajat Patidar as their captain ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 season. The RCB quashed the widespread speculation that Virat Kohli might return as captain after they didn’t retain Faf du Plessis, who led them from 2022 to 2024.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced at an event in Bengaluru on Thursday, February 13, in the presence of the team director Mo Bobat, head coach Andy Flower, and Patidar himself. Patidar has been part of the RCB since 2021, and he has now emerged as a crucial batter for the franchise, amassing 799 runs in 28 matches so far.

Rajat Patidar expresses gratitude after being named RCB captain

With this appointment, Patidar becomes the eighth player to lead the franchise in the IPL. After the announcement, the RCB posted a video on its social media handle X, where Rajat Patidar expressed his gratitude after being named as the new Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain.

Acknowledging the legacy of past RCB leaders, Patidar described his leadership style as calm and composed, saying he doesn’t panic in pressure situations, and that is his strength. He also expressed his gratitude to the RCB fans for their love and support since the beginning of his journey with the franchise in 2021 and said he is blessed that he plays for this team.

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Rajat Patidar reflecting on his journey with RCB

Reflecting on his journey with RCB, the right-handed batter called it a mix of highs and lows. After not being picked in the mega auction, he got a second chance as a replacement and made the most of it in 2022. However, after the breakout IPL 2022 season, Rajat Patidar was ruled out of the 2023 season due to a heel injury.

The 31-year-old made a successful comeback in 2024, and the batter said that it was not easy, but the RCB and fans’ support made everything easy for him. He noted that the Bengaluru-based franchise’s qualification for the IPL 2024 playoffs after a challenging season was a special moment for him.

RCB and fans have always supported me: Patidar

Rajat Patidar in the RCB video on X on Thursday: “I'm very thankful that they have given me a second chance. I was very confident that if I could come this far, I could go even further and I had a belief that RCB would take me this far, and then the whole scenario changed. I've gone through ups and downs in my IPL journey. But the team and fans stood by me.”

The new RCB skipper further added, “When I made a comeback in 2024, everyone knows that it's tough to come back after an injury. I have a belief that wherever I go, RCB will always be there for me. The way we took the team forward and qualified from the situation we were in. That was a happy moment for me.”

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Patidar ready for the challenges ahead as the RCB captain

In the end, Patidar expressed his joy over being retained by RCB last year, calling it a big moment in his career, and now he is ready to face the challenges ahead as the captain.

Rajat signed off by saying, “Retaining this year is a big thing. You only retain 3-4 players in such a big squad. I felt that this was the best moment for me and I got a new role of captaincy. I'm very happy, and I'm ready for the upcoming challenges.”

🚨 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿 - 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 🚨

The journey of self-belief. That blessed feeling. This opportunity. Hear all about it from the Man of the Hour, the calm, the balanced, and extremely likeable,… pic.twitter.com/6L5OdbmUDR

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 13, 2025