What is Rajat Patidar’s record as captain in T20 cricket?

Newly-appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar has a job on his hands as he gears up to lead the franchise to their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title this year. With the 31-year-old yet to captain in the IPL, it's worth noting his record in the role in T20 cricket thus far.

The right-handed batter's only instance of captaining in T20s came in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy edition of 2024-25. He led Madhya Pradesh in eight matches, out of which they won six and reached the final of the tournament.

However, they lost to Mumbai by five wickets in the decider despite the skipper hitting an unbeaten 40-ball 81, laced with six fours and as many sixes. He had a stellar season overall, aggregating 428 runs in nine innings at 61.14 to finish as the second-highest run-getter.

Having made his IPL debut in the 2021 edition, Patidar has accumulated 799 runs at 34.73, striking at 158.84. His best innings came against the Eliminator clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022, smashing an unbeaten 112 off 54 deliveries at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

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"Give the sort of involvement where they feel relaxed and confident" - Rajat Patidar

Mo Bobat and Rajat Patidar. (Credits: RCB X)

Addressing his appointment as captain, Patidar, who will replace Faf du Plessis, said he wishes to formulate the best environment for the players, ensuring them the maximum freedom to feel relaxed and express themselves the way they wish to. He said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"I really feel good right now. If I talk about my way of captaincy, I'm not that much expressive, but at the same time, I'm aware of the situation of the matches. So I think for me it's important to back my players and stand with them and give the sort of involvement where they feel relaxed and confident."

"So yeah, I'm lucky that I am surrounded by one of the best people in the team and we have a group of leaders as well where their experience and ideas will definitely help in my new leadership role and growth as an individual also."

The schedule for IPL 2025 is yet to be announced.