RCB entered the 2025 IPL Auction with a hefty ₹83 crore in hand and top-tier captains like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Jos Buttler up for grabs. But did they go for an established leader? Nope. Strategy? Questionable.
Fans hoped for a Virat Kohli comeback, only for RCB to pull a plot twist—naming Rajat Patidar as skipper. Sure, he led Madhya Pradesh to a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, but can he rewrite RCB’s cursed IPL script?
For now, calling it a "forward-looking move" feels more like dressing up a botched auction.
Nevertheless, after being unveiled as their new skipper, Patidar said, '
Kohli himself congratulated Rajat for the new role. "Rajat, firstly, I want to congratulate you. Wish you all the very best. Thank you for the way you have grown in this franchise and the way you have performed. You have really made a place in the hearts of all the fans of RCB all over India. And they get really excited to watch you play. So, this is very well deserved. And to tell you that myself and the other team members will be right behind you. And you will have all our support to grow into this role," Kohli said in the video.
RCB team director, Mo Bobat also explained why Virat wasn't named as the skipper again. "Of course, Virat was an option. That goes without saying, and I know that the fans would have probably lent towards Virat in the first instance, but we have seen a lot of love for Rajat too... Virat doesn't need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we've all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless. For us, even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat. The volume of runs, and the strike rate that he scored last year was so impressive and so important for us," Bobat said.
