‘He will do a great job for this amazing franchise’- Virat Kohli on new RCB captain Rajat Patidar

Ahead of the 2025 IPL season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) just named ace batsman Rajat Patidar as their new captain. Virat Kohli, who thinks Patidar has what it takes to lead the team for a long time, has backed the decision to name the 31-year-old as the team’s leader. Kohli said he was confident in Patidar’s leadership skills at the RCB Unbox event in Bengaluru.

With a new skipper joining the team, the RCB batting mainstay said the team is in excellent hands. Additionally, he underlined that Patidar will bring enormous honors and lead the squad for a very long period.

“Patidar is incredibly talented. We all know that he is a fantastic player, but he also has a good head, and he will lead this incredible team and provide excellent service. He possesses all the necessary items. He will be your leader for a very long time.

Prior to the 2025 IPL mega auction, Patidar was one of RCB’s three retentions, and he has since been assigned to captain the team. After a string of strong performances in domestic cricket, he demonstrated his leadership abilities as he led Madhya Pradesh to the 2024–25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, scoring 428 runs at a strike rate of 186.08 in nine innings. Patidar recognized the heritage of RCB and the sources of inspiration he finds in the greats of the past.

“RCB has had legends like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli bhai.

I watched them as a child. I have been a huge fan of the franchise since the beginning. I’m glad I acquired a new position leading one of the top T20 cricket teams,” he remarked.

The main obstacle facing Patidar will be insecurity: AB de Villiers

South African captain and former RCB star AB de Villiers thinks Patidar’s greatest obstacle may be self-doubt, but it will be interesting to see how he overcomes it.

“Insecurity will be Patidar’s largest obstacle when he fills in for captains like Virat and Faf. Living with Virat around and continuously questioning whether you’re making the correct decision? How would Virat respond? That, in my opinion, will be his largest challenge. During a JioStar-sponsored media conference, De Villiers stated, “Use Virat’s experience and [head coach] Andy Flower’s experience, but always stay true to who you are.”