Today’s article is all about Rajat Patidar, a rising star in Indian Cricket. His journey is no less an inspiration for young people who want to play cricket at the national and international level.
His story has proved that with hard work, dedication, discipline and self belief, you can achieve anything in life.
Through this article, we’ll explore his journey from domestic cricket to RCB captaincy.
Early Life and Education
Rajat Patidar was born on 1 June 1993, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He was a huge fan of Cricket since his childhood. He started his professional career in cricket from a very early age and proved his commitment right from there.
His family was supportive to him, especially his grandfather who played an important role in his career building by motivating him and getting his name enrolled in a cricket academy.
His passion for cricket since childhood and his consistent performances at local tournaments laid the ground for his success.
Domestic Career
Below, I have mentioned Rajat Patidar’s key milestones of his domestic career. Read to know about them:
- First-class debut: He made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy for Madhya Pradesh on October 30, 2015
- Impressive start: In the Ranji Trophy, he scored a half-century and a century in his first two innings
- T20 debut: He played his first T20 match in the Zonal T20 League on January 8, 2018
- Leading run-scorer: He became the leading run-scorer in 2018-19 Ranji Trophy for Madhya Pradesh, scoring 713 runs in the 8 matches
- India Blue selection: He got selected for the India Blue team in the 2019-20 Duleep Trophy
- Ranji Trophy winner: He was again a part of Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy-winning team in 2022, scoring 122 in the final against Mumbai
- Captaincy: He became captain of Madhya Pradesh for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
- Successful captaincy: He led his team in the finals of 2024-25 seasons. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He made 428 runs in nine innings at an average of 61.14 and a strike rate 148
Rajat Patidar IPL Career
IPL 2021
His journey started in IPL when Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him in the IPL 2021 auction. That was his first season in the IPL but his performance was not as good as expected.
He scored only 71 runs in 4 matches.
His Bad Performance
Due to his bad performance, RCB dropped him after the season. In the 2022 IPL season, He remained unsold. None of the IPL teams bought him. Even after being unsold in the 2022 IPL season, RCB bought him mid-season as a replacement for injured player Luvnith Sisodia.
His Powerful Comeback
His comeback in RCB proved to be powerful display of his talent. His magical journey started from there as this second chance became a turning point in his Cricket career.
He played his mind blowing performance in the Eliminator match of 2022 IPL against Lucknow Super Giants. He scored 112 runs in 54 balls. It was a historic score.
He made a total of 333 runs in eight matches of IPL 2022 at a run rate of 55.50. His phenomenal performance made him the first uncapped player to achieve a century in the IPL playoffs.
RCB Captain in 2025
As I said in the beginning, his journey is no less than an inspiration. Feeling so good while writing it that Royal Challengers Bengaluru has named Rajat Patidar as a new captain of RCB franchise for the 2025 IPL season.
He takes over the team leadership from Faf du Plessis, who led the team from 2022 to 2024.
This decision has proved that RCB’s whole team members and owner of the team have a strong trust in Rajat and his ability.
While people were expecting that Virat Kohli will come back as the captain, the franchise ultimately chose Patidar to lead the team.
Rajat has proved himself by his powerful performances throughout his journey. Even though he led as a captain of Madhya Pradesh in 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, this will be something new for him to experience as this is his first captaincy in the IPL 2025.
Rajat Patidar Playing Style
He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He is known for his aggressive and fearless approach to batting.
His majestic strike rate in T20 matches reveals his capability to score runs quickly.
Records and Achievements
- He became first uncapped player to score century in the IPL playoffs
- His made historic 112 runs in just 54 balls in Eliminator match of IPL 2022
- He also led Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25
- He was the second highest scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25
International Career
ODI Debut:
Rajat was named in the ODI team for the series against South Africa. It was his debut International cricket ODI match happened on December 21, 2023. He played just one match and made 22 runs in 16 balls.
Test Match Debut:
He made his debut in the Test match on January 2, 2024 against England but he played his first Test match in the second game. He scored 32 runs in the first inning and 9 in the second inning.
Conclusion
Rajat Patidar has turned into a commendable player. His hard work, dedication and talent has proved his ability.
From domestic cricket to international cricket, to IPL 2025 RCB Captain, he came so far in his journey.
This new path will surely be an amazing one for him as he is leading the RCB franchise this year.
His fans are eagerly waiting to see his performance this year. Many people who are inspired by his journey and his supporters who have been supporting him throughout his journey, will definitely root for him.
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