Rajat Patidar: From replacement player to RCB’s skipper, shines in IPL

Born on June 1, 1993, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Rajat Patidar began his first-class cricket career by scoring centuries in the initial matches of the 2015-16 season of the Ranji Trophy. One of the key highlights of his domestic cricket career was during the 2022 Ranji Trophy final, when he scored a crucial century against Mumbai, which paved the way for Madhya Pradesh to win the title after 69 years.

During the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajat Patidar made headlines. He joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad as a replacement player for the injured Luvnith Sisodia; he scored an unbeaten 112 off 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator match. Patidar set a new record through this innings by becoming the first uncapped player to score a century in IPL playoffs but also the first to achieve this feat in an eliminator.

Patidar missed the 2023 season of the IPL after suffering a heel injury. While he returned to lead the RCB in the IPL 2025 season. RCB defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by 12 runs at Wankhede Stadium, the home ground of MI; this marked RCB’s first win at the venue in a decade under Patidar’s captaincy. RCB skipper played a significant 64-run innings along with Virat Kohli playing a 67-run innings, providing consistency to their batting lineup. Patidar praised Krunal Pandya for his match-winning performance in the final over, which led to RCB’s victory.

Patidar made his One Day International (ODI) debut against South Africa in late 2023. He then made his Test debut against England in Visakhapatnam. Patidar struggled to score high during the Test series, scoring only a total of 63 runs in six innings. Currently, Patidar continues to play an important role in RCB’s batting order, leading the team from the front.