Imagine the Chinnaswamy Stadium in May 2025. At last, Virat Kohli is holding an IPL trophy in his tears. He is surrounded by a fanbase of 18 years eager to have this moment. It was not the name of a legendary captain that made it happen. so Who Is the Captain of RCB in 2025 IPL. It was Rajat Patidar – a 31-year-old batter whom Indore had purchased three years before at his base price of Rs 20 lakh and sent away quietly after an unimpressive four-game career.
So Who Is the Captain of RCB? The answer to this is Rajat Patidar – and the history behind the answer is one of the more unique ones in the recent IPL history. He leads Royal challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 where he is retained at 11 crores after delivering the first ever title in the history of the franchise in his first season as captain. Prior to that trophy, a decade of domestic grind, a career saving mid-season phone call, and a century that halted an entire stadium were all that came before.
In this article we discuss about Rajat Patidar :- Age, Career, Education, Net worth and More.
Rajat Patidar Profile
| Full Name | Rajat Manohar Patidar |
| Date of Birth | June 1, 1993 |
| Age (2026) | 32 years |
| Birthplace | Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Role | Right-handed top-order batter, Off-break bowler |
| IPL Team | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) |
| IPL Jersey Number | 97 |
| India Jersey Number | 87 |
| IPL Retention Fee | Rs 11 crore (IPL 2025 & 2026) |
| Domestic Team | Madhya Pradesh |
| BCCI Contract | Grade C (Rs 1 crore per year, from 2024) |
| Net Worth (2025) | Rs 25-30 crore (estimated, Financial Express) |
Rajat Patidar was born on June 1, 1993, to Indore, Madhya Pradesh – a city that has a long history of producing local cricketing talent that does not necessarily receive the national exposure it deserves. His real name is Rajat Manohar Patidar, and the middle name was given after his father, Manohar Patidar, an agricultural pump business proprietor.
It was not a family of cricketers in the literal meaning of this word – none of them had a profession in the field. However, his father encouraged it when eight-year old Rajat developed early interest in the game. His grandfather did not stop there: he took the boy to a cricket academy, the official start of what would eventually grow to be a 25-year career that would see the boy become an IPL captain. Rekha Patidar is a homemaker and he has a sister, Aarti Patidar, who is older.
What is interesting to learn about his early years is the resistance that he received later. In 2014, a severe ACL knee injury struck him, and his relatives encouraged him to forego surgical intervention and pursue a degree and enter the family business. He needed real persuasion before he could convince them to allow him to have the operation and keep playing. That obstinacy – silent, tenacious, and at the end right – would be a characteristic feature.
Educational Qualification and Early Cricket
Rajat began as a bowler, and not a batter. That is not evident in his profile now, but it is the fact that he started playing as a pace bowler then moved to off-spin so that he could have more chances in junior level. Only after his U-15 days was the switch to batting suggested as a major role. It is the sort of early-career malleability that usually indicates a cricketer that is still working out how to remain on the field rather than how to play on it.
He did not play age group cricket at the national stage and so, he lacked these formal stepping-stone opportunities enjoyed by fast-track players. His entrance into state Cricket with Madhya Pradesh was more tedious and sluggish. He finished his formal education but has maintained the information secret – no college degrees are established within the public record.
His first-class appearance happened on 30 October 2015, in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy to Madhya Pradesh against Baroda in Vadodara. His first innings was 60 and in the second one he scored 101. An introduction where your second century in first-class cricketing is a debut is not a subtle introduction. In the same year, his List-A debut came in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in which he scored a half-century in 40 balls at a strike rate of 132.50.
| Category | Details |
| School Education | New Digamer Public School, Indore |
| College / University | Guru Vashishtha College, Dewas |
Career Highlights: Replacement Player to IPL Winning Captain.
The domestic grind (2015-2020)
Patidar was everything most domestic players are: a consistent, progressing player who was simply not getting the chance that would transform his fortunes, a half-decade after making his debut. His 713 runs in 8 Ranji Trophy matches in 2018-19 made him the top run-scorer in Madhya Pradesh – a truly good season in a competitive game. He represented India Blue in the Duleep Trophy 2019- 20. He was recognized, though not exactly called.
IPL 2021: A quiet debut
In the February 2021 IPL auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore purchased him at his base price of Rs 20 lakh. He appeared in 4 games and made 71 runs at a strike rate of 114.52 before they later released him. Not a failure per se, but no more than that. He was not sold at the IPL 2022 mega auction and appeared to have been heading into the list of domestic talent which never really translates.
The moment of change on a phone call. In mid-season 2022, the wicketkeeper of RCB, Luvnith Sisodia became injured. RCB referred Patidar as a replacement – this time around 20 lakh. Of particular interest here is this detail: Rajat had initially planned his wedding date as May 9, 2022. He waited in order to be part of the team. On July 7, 2022 he and Gunjan Patidar got married. The fact that decision, that he should take his second chance more seriously than the party, tells you something about the seriousness with which he had taken his second chance.
May 25, 2022: The game that made a career.
RCB was playing Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL Eliminator at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Patidar entered the field and scored 112 not out with 54 balls – 12 fours, 7 sixes. RCB posted 207/4. This was the first century of the uncapped player in the IPL playoff and this made him the first uncapped player to score a century. It was also the fastest playoff century in the history of the IPL by the joint, having occurred on 49 balls, the same record as Wriddhiman Saha set in the 2014 final.
He scored 333 runs in 8 matches at an average of 55.50 and a strike rate of 152.75 at the end of the 2022 season. He had come in as an interim and ended a third-highest run-scorer in RCB.
IPL 2023: The Achilles setback
Still under contract until the 2023 season, he sustained an Achilles heel injury prior to the season and missed the whole season. Surgery followed. In 2023-24, he came back to domestic cricket without any regression – not assured, now he had a major tendon injury and surgery.
Meanwhile, in 2024, Rajat Patidar delivered an impressive performance as a striker in the Indian Premier League. He scored 395 runs in 13 innings, registering five half-centuries at a remarkable strike rate of 177.13. Earlier, he had made his ODI debut for India national cricket team on December 21, 2023, against South Africa national cricket team, scoring 22 runs off 16 balls in his first international appearance. His Test debut came on 2 February 2024 to England in Visakhapatnam – he was deputized to replace Virat Kohli. He received a score of 32 and 9, a hard initiation into Test cricket against a good attack. In March 2024, BCCI gave him a Grade C central contract, making him the first Madhya Pradesh cricketer to receive a BCCI central contract.
SMAT 2024-25 and the captaincy case
In the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Patidar represented Madhya Pradesh and hit 428 at an average of 61.14 and a strike rate of 186.08 in 9 innings. He took this team to the final where they lost to Mumbai where he got 81 not out in 40 balls. It was a performance of a captain who leads at the front and just landed on the radar of RCB at the right time.
February 13, 2025: Named RCB captain
The captaincy was vacant with Faf du Plessis not retained at the end of the fourth season as captain. And, although Virat Kohli was prepared to have another go at it, and had been at the helm of RCB since 2013, RCB director of cricket Mo Bobat made the conscious decision to appoint Patidar to it instead. His logic, which was published later: The simple thing would have been to say, Virat, will you mind filling in and doing captaincy? But then you are simply delaying an important decision. Moreover, the team cannot always rely on Virat Kohli in the long run. Instead, the move was about planning for the future rather than depending on past solutions.
IPL 2025: RCB’s first ever title.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, under the captaincy of Patidar, beat Punjab Kings in the final to become the IPL champions, marking their first championship win in 18 years. Patidar is only the fourth captain in the history of IPL to win the championship in his very first season in the captaincy, joining the ranks of Shane Warne and Hardik Pandya. He had a win percentage during the 2025 season of IPL of 76.92. The picture of Virat Kohli, who was filled with emotion after finally receiving the title, could not be detached as the story of a person making it possible.
IPL 2026: Defending the Title
Rajat Patidar is the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru who is the defending champion in IPL 2026. The season begins on March 28 and RCB retained him at Rs 11 crore, which is the same amount as 2025, which is a show of confidence by the franchise. The team has been dealing with several injury concerns during the preparation phase. However, Tim David (hamstring), Rajat Patidar (hamstring and Achilles), and Phil Salt (back) have all returned to action in early 2026 after recovering from minor injuries. As a result, the key question for the 2026 IPL campaign is whether the squad that won the title in 2025 can maintain the same level of cohesion and defend their championship successfully.
What Patidar means to RCB is what has already been settled. He is no more of a substitute or an unexpected choice. Meanwhile, he leads a franchise that has endured an 18-year trophy drought, yet at just 32 years old, he still has a long journey ahead in his cricket career. I believe that the more captivating question to IPL 2026 is not whether he is able to lead but whether he will be able to follow up on a title winning season that did not come with the surprise that 2025 had.
| Year / Period | Event | Key Details |
| 2015 | First-Class Debut | Debuted for Madhya Pradesh cricket team in the Ranji Trophy vs Baroda cricket team |
| 2021 | IPL Debut | Bought by RCB for ₹20 lakh in the Indian Premier League auction. |
| 2022 (Mid-Season) | Replacement Signing | Rejoined RCB as a replacement for injured Luvnith Sisodia |
| May 25, 2022 | Career-Defining IPL Knock | Became the first uncapped player to score a century in IPL playoffs. |
| Dec 21, 2023 | ODI Debut | Made ODI debut for India national cricket team against South Africa |
| Feb 2, 2024 | Test Debut | Test debut vs England cricket team |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Named RCB Captain | Become The Captain of RCB |
| IPL 2025 | Historic Title | Lead RCB in 2025 and RCB become IPL 2025 Winner and Create History |
| IPL 2026 | Again Lead RCB | In 2026 Rajat is back to again lead RCB |
Personal Life
Rajat Patidar married in 2022. In the majority of sources, people called his wife Gunjan Patidar, although a Times Now report mentioned her as Ananya Sharma. He personally maintains his personal life as strictly private and does not mention his wife on social media, which creates certain vagueness in the official record.
Rajat Patidar has often spoken about idolising Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, something that is visible in his batting approach. His style combines aggressive stroke play early in the innings with the ability to rotate the strike under pressure. During the off-season, Patidar enjoys travelling and follows a strict fitness routine that includes a disciplined workout and nutrition program. He owns a Hyundai i20 and splits his time between Indore, his hometown, and Bengaluru during the IPL season. Additionally, Patidar has a brand endorsement partnership with Sareen Sports, one of India’s largest sports equipment manufacturers in India.
Net Worth and Earnings (As of 2026)
Financial Express and Sportsdunia estimate Rajat Patidar’s net worth to be around Rs 25 crore as of early 2026. Other sources of his income are his IPL retention fee of Rs 11 crore (the same is also applicable in the case of IPL 2026), his BCCI Grade C central contract fee of Rs 1 crore per year, domestic cricket fees in Madhya Pradesh, and commercial endorsements such as Sareen Sports. The way his IPL has gained him a whopping 20 lakh to 11 crore in four seasons, is a simple manifestation of how a breakthrough performance and follow-up can make to a cricketer market value.
Conclusion
Rajat answers the question of Who Is the Captain of RCB. Patidar – and there is a tale of it, which most people are not well aware of. He entered the 2022 IPL as a replacement value of Rs 20 lakh, had adjourned his own wedding in the hope, made a century in the Eliminator which was one of the most replayed innings in IPL history, survived an Achilles injury, received an India call-up at 30 something years old, and helped RCB win a title that had eluded the franchise in 18 years.
Rajat Patidar did not become an obvious choice for the captaincy. However, Virat Kohli was available and ready to take up the role again. Instead, RCB chose Patidar because the franchise believed it was a better long-term decision than relying on a well-known name. That speculation was successful at the very beginning. He is 32 and he will continue to hold the captaincy in IPL 2026 and he will be in charge of the defence of the title which will remain in a way unreal to all that waited. Should you wish to keep up the 2026 campaign of RCB, you begin by knowing the man who will lead it – and now you know.
FAQ’s
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have the captain Rajat Patidar in IPL 2026.
Rajat Patidar was born on 1 st June 1993, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He is 32 years old as of 2026.
Rajat Patidar is a Royal challengers Bengaluru player who wears jersey number 97.
The captain of RCB in IPL 2022 and 2024 is Faf du Plessis who replaced Virat Kohli who led the franchise between 2013 and 2021.
Financial Express and Sportsdunia estimate Rajat Patidar’s net worth to be amazingly between 25-30 crore in the year 2025.
Faf du Plessis was Captain of RCB in 2024.
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