Rajat Patidar’s journey to becoming the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain had a big connection with Virat Kohli. After RCB released Faf du Plessis following three seasons as captain, many thought Kohli could take the captaincy again, but the team chose Patidar ahead of IPL 2025.
Before making the final call, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru management discussed Patidar’s name with Kohli. The former captain fully backed the suggestion, as he believed Patidar had what it takes to lead the team, and his attitude and behavior inside the dressing room also impressed him. Amid this, Mohammed Siraj sledges Ishan Kishan, targets him with bouncers in Duleep Trophy.
Virat Kohli plays key role in Rajat Patidar’s RCB captaincy selection
When Rajat Patidar was announced as the RCB captain, Virat Kohli made it clear that he was happy with the decision. The former captain said Patidar had earned the chance to lead RCB and also made sure the new captain would receive all the support he needed.
Patidar then went on to give RCB fans the moment they had been waiting for 18 years. Under his captaincy, RCB won their first-ever IPL trophy in 2025 and then defended the trophy in 2026.
Now, more than two years after becoming captain, Patidar has spoken about what Kohli’s support meant to him, saying it was much more than support from a senior teammate. He said that finding out that Kohli had supported his name for the RCB captaincy was a very special moment for him.
Rajat Patidar opens up on what Virat Kohli’s support meant to him
Rajat Patidar was quoted as saying by Sports Launchpad, “If your idol backs you, then you don’t need anything more. You don’t need anyone else’s support. I used to notice everything about him when he batted. From what he did on the ground to what his routine was off the field. Later, I came to know he backed me a lot, including when it came to captaincy.”
The Madhya Pradesh batter admitted that becoming the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain is not an easy job, but he has received a lot of support from everyone that made his job easy. Amid this, Ajit Agarkar attends Duleep trophy 2026 final after skipping BCCI meeting.
Patidar further shared, “It is not easy to hand someone the RCB captaincy, considering the fans and the expectations. He must have seen something in me. I don’t know what, but I have received a lot of support from him in the team, as a player and as a captain.”
Rajat Patidar picks AB de Villiers as greatest T20 batter of all time
Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar has shared his pick for the greatest T20 batter of all time. RCB’s popularity has always been linked with some of the biggest names in T20 cricket. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle played a huge role in making the franchise one of the most followed teams in the IPL.
Even after Gayle and de Villiers retired, their impact on RCB remains strong. Well, Patidar first picked Rohit Sharma ahead of Jos Buttler, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Shane Watson, and David Warner as the list of legends got tougher.
But when AB de Villiers came up against Rohit, Patidar went with the former RCB icon. The Proteas legend then continued to beat other legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Matthew Hayden, and MS Dhoni as Patidar’s greatest T20 batter of all time.
