Star Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Rajat Patidar took centre stage and talked about receiving the captaincy of the side from Virat Kohli ahead of the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. He talked about his nervousness around leading the side.
The IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025 has been a tournament full of ups and downs, from thrilling matches to its suspension midway due to political tensions between India and Pakistan; the tournament has seen it all in 2025. Apart from the surrounding conditions, there were several major changes made to the teams before the start of the season as well.
One of the most notable changes was the appointment of Rajat Patidar as the skipper of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Patidar has done a good job in leading RCB in the IPL 2025 so far. Before the suspension of the tournament, the team sat in second place in the standings with 16 points to their name.
Despite being in good form, Patidar recalled how he was very nervous to receive the captaincy plaque from Virat Kohli ahead of the new season. “When he was giving it to me, I was a bit worried about how to take it. I was completely blank about what to do. He told me to hold it. I held it. After that, I was looking at him like, what should I do? Then he said a couple of words like, ‘you deserve it, you earned it’. So I felt a little bit okay. I mean, when he said this to me then I became normal in that situation. I learn from him as much as possible. So I think that was a special moment… the way he introduced me to so many fans,” Patidar said on the RCB podcast.
Patidar reflected on how he had doubts over how there were many big names in the team, but he was the one being chosen to lead RCB forward in the coming years. “I had a lot of questions like, there are so many (big players) in the team. Kohli is such a big player. how will you do it under him? I know how supportive he is about this (captaincy change),” he added.