"He will lean on Virat Kohli's captaincy skills a lot" - Former Indian batter opens up on RCB's new captain for IPL 2025

Former India batter Robin Uthappa has shared his views regarding Rajat Patidar, who is Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) new captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The tournament will kickstart with an encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday, March 22.

Uthappa expressed that Patidar will lean on former RCB captain Virat Kohli's leadership skills. He added that Patidar will also have to contend with Kohli's stardom in leading the franchise.

The 31-year-old has never led in the IPL before and this will be his maiden stint as a captain. However, he does have some captaincy experience, having led Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket.

"Rajat will have to contend with the superstardom of Virat Kohli, which is there within that side. He will, I think, lean on Virat Kohli's captaincy skills a lot. But I think Rajat is in a unique position to be able to take RCB forward," he told IANS (via NDTV Sports).

Uthappa also said that Patidar will have to figure out how he wants to lead the side. While he had done well in domestic cricket, the former Indian batter said that he will have to replicate the performances in the IPL as well.

"I think in RCB with Rajat being there at the helm right now, he will have to figure out his mode of leadership. He has done fairly well with leadership in domestic cricket. But he'll have to convert that obviously again into performances as far as RCB is concerned," he stated.

For the last three seasons, South African star Faf Du Plessis led the team. However, he was released after the 2024 season and hence, a new leader has been appointed.

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A tough challenge for Rajat Patidar as he embarks on new journey as RCB skipper

The pressure will certainly be massive on Rajat Patidar as he prepares to lead an IPL team for the very first time. Patidar was retained by RCB for ₹11 crore ahead of the mega auction.

The pressure will only be doubled on Patidar as he gears up to lead a franchise that has the burden of expectations of winning their maiden IPL title. Last season, RCB made it to the playoffs but lost the Eliminator.

They have played three finals and have suffered a defeat on all three occasions so far. Having been retained for a handsome amount, Patidar will also have the pressure of justifying the faith shown by the management on him as a player apart from a leader.