KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025: How Rajat Patidar fared on captaincy debut | Mint

Rajat Patidar faced his first challenge as captain even before Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had stepped on the field. He was going to be without his most experienced bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. They had shelled out a hefty ₹10.75 crore for Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

It was part of the management’s conscious strategy of building a bowling attack with teeth, and fixing RCB’s perennial weakness. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar wasn’t available for RCB’s season-opening clash against Kolkata Knight Riders due to what the franchise said was a “minor injury”, promising “he’ll be back soon”.

Deprived of his senior-most bowler, Rajat Patidar then had a captaincy trial by fire as KKR rattled off to a blazing start. That RCB still won convincingly was down to the great skill shown by their bowlers and the batting of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt – but Rajat Patidar played his role as captain too.

The comeback

KKR were 9/1 in three overs at the start. By the end of the 12th over, they were 124/3, having looted 115 runs in nine overs. At that stage, KKR were looking at a total well in excess of 200 given their bowling depth. And they would have the spin twins Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy to defend that.

For a new captain, this was the stuff of nightmares. He had been entrusted with the responsibility of leading one of the most popular teams in the IPL, he had received generous backing from the likes of Virat Kohli and the team management, and he had seemed primed for the job. And now he was starting at a mountain barely an hour into the role.

What Rajat Patidar did then though, provided an insight into the kind of captain he might become. He had first used Krunal Pandya in the powerplay, where it didn’t work out. As soon as Sunil Narine was out though, he brought Krunal Pandya back, and kept him on. He was rewarded with a game-turning spell of 3/14 in three overs.

Even more impressive as a gut-call was bringing on young leggie Suyash Sharma when Andre Russell was new to the crease. Suyash Sharma had gone for 41 runs in his three overs, but Rajat Patidar knew that while he couldn’t expect exemplary control from the former KKR skipper perhaps, he could expect wicket-taking deliveries. And having clawed their way back into the match, RCB needed Andre Russell’s wicket to not let the advantage slip.

Suyash Sharma landed a perfect googly, and Andre Russell lost his stumps. “Him conceding runs didn’t matter. He is our strike bowler, we backed him,” rajat Patidar was to say later of Suyash Sharma.

The missed opportunity

Rajat Patidar could have stamped his authority on not just the game, but the team itself, if he had come out at No.3. Phil Salt and Virat Kohli’s big-hitting had laid the foundation and when the Englishman was out, RCB were 95/1 in 8.3 overs. Sunil Narine had bowled one over, and Varun Chakaravarthy was in the middle of his second.

As one of the elite spin-hitters of the IPL, Rajat Patidar striding out would have sent a clear message to KKR: that RCB were here to take them on. More, that the captain was leading the charge. Sending in Devdutt Padikkal was perhaps the more pragmatic move, given the comfortable situation RCB were in.

It meant Rajat Patidar was still available in case of more wickets. But the captain walking out at No.3 would have been the more daring move. In the event, it didn’t much matter, because when Rajat Patidar came out, he batted like a dream. Varun Chakravarthy had finished his quota already and Sunil Narine had only one over.

In that over, the first ball Rajat Patidar faced was smashed over long-on. After the spinners, perhaps Harshit Rana with his hit-the-deck ability would have been the biggest threat. After all, Josh Hazlewood had done that job for RCB. Harshit Rana was promptly creamed for four fours in an over, and the match as a contest was finished.

The perfect captaincy debut would have probably had Rajat Patidar walking in at No.3 and seeing the chase through. But walking in at No. 4 and smashing 34 off 16 was not too far off.

It’s never wise to read too much into one game, and Rajat Patidar’s bigger tests lie ahead. But as far as first steps go, he took a pretty significant one.