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In a surprising twist ahead of IPL 2025, Rajat Patidar has been announced as the new captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The 31-year-old dependable Indian middle-order batter, who was retained by RCB for ₹11 crore, will take the reins of the team as they aim to clinch their maiden IPL title after 18 years of trying.
RCB’s Leadership Change: Virat Kohli Makes Way for Patidar
For years, Virat Kohli was the face of RCB and their leader from 2011 until 2021, and a brief return in 2023. Speculation had swirled around whether he would reclaim the captaincy, but instead, RCB has placed their trust in Rajat Patidar, signaling a new chapter for the franchise. Patidar’s appointment also marks the fourth Indian captain to lead RCB, following in the footsteps of Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, and Virat Kohli.
Dependable Indian middle-order batter Rajat Patidar has been announced as the captain of RCB for IPL 2025. The 31-year-old batter was one of the three players alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal to be retained by the franchise ahead of the auction. In fact, the franchise shelled Rs 11 crore to retain his services.
This will be the first time that Rajat Patidar will be captaining an IPL franchise. He has experience in captaining Madhya Pradesh in the first-class circuit. He even led the team to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where they narrowly lost to Mumbai.
Patidar thus becomes the fourth Indian captain to lead RCB after Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli. He takes over the reins of captaincy from Faf du Plessis who led the franchise from 2022 to 2024.
Here is the list of players to captain Royal Challengers Bengaluru in history:
Rahul Dravid (2008)
Kevin Pietersen (2009)
Anil Kumble (2009-10)
Daniel Vettori (2011-12)
Virat Kohli (2011-21, 2023)
Shane Watson( Interim, 2017)
Faf du Plessis (2022-24)
Rajat Patidar (2025-)
RCB Squad For IPL 2025
Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara.
Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma.
All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell.
Fast bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh.
Spinners: Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee.
