Virat Kohli has thrown his support behind the new Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, Rajat Patidar, whom he believes will lead the team for a long time. Patidar, one of RCB’s three retained players ahead of last November’s mega-auction, was announced as Faf du Plessis’ successor last month.
“He is an amazing talent. He is a great player; we all know that, but he has got a great head on his shoulders, and he will do a great job for this amazing franchise and take the team forward. He has got everything that’s required.” Kohli spoke at RCB Unbox, an event held in Bengaluru on Monday to introduce the 2025 squad of RCB.
Patidar was named captain of Madhya Pradesh before joining RCB, and he led the side to the final of the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy late last year. Patidar’s personal contribution to the season was outstanding, with 428 runs in nine innings and a strike rate of 186.08. His 27 sixes were the second-most in the competition.
“Legends like Virat Bhai, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle have played for RCB. I grew up watching them. From the start, I have loved the franchise a lot. I am happy that I got a new role to lead one of the biggest teams in T20 cricket.” Patidar spoke about gaining inspiration from the former great of RCB at the event.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will play their first game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, which is also the opening game of IPL 2025. The least RCB is hoping under their new skipper to match their previous year’s performance, where they finished fourth on the table to qualify for the playoffs.
