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    STUMP VISION                                                             JUNE 12, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 46

                                                                      IPL 2026

                 The 77% Solution: How Rajat Patidar

                      Solved the IPL’s Hardest Equation

                 Some captains inherit dynasties. Rajat Patidar inherited 18 years of baggage and
                                                      turned it into a winning formula

                     ARCHAN MEHTA

                  s Royal Challengers Bengalu-
                  ru prepare for a second con-
            Asecutive  IPL  final,  the  spot-
            light  naturally  drifts  towards  Virat
            Kohli’s enduring brilliance, Tim Da-
            vid’s  finishing  power,  or  Bhuvnesh-
            war Kumar’s control with the ball. Yet
            the defining story of this RCB revival
            belongs to a soft-spoken batter from
            Indore who has quietly reshaped both
            himself  and  the  franchise.  Patidar’s
            rise from an unsold player in the 2022
            auction  to  the  captain  of  the  IPL’s
            most consistent team is not simply a   Perhaps the most worrying aspect is the uncertain future of India’s younger batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma (ANI file photo)
            tale of resilience; it is a story of techni-
            cal evolution, leadership maturity and   gears dramatically, highlighted by his   knockouts. Yet the next challenge ar-  mation.  For  years,  the  franchise  re-
            structural transformation.        68-ball Ranji Trophy hundred against   rived quickly. An Achilles injury ruled   volved  around  individual  brilliance.
                Patidar’s cricket journey began far   Haryana. By the time he led Madhya   him out of the entire 2023 season and   Today,  it  thrives  on  structure.  Kohli
            from the glamour of the IPL. Raised   Pradesh  to  its  historic  Ranji  Trophy   threatened to halt his momentum. Re-  remains  central,  but  he  is  no  longer
            in a financially secure family in Indore,   triumph in 2022, he had already built   habilitation, however, became another   carrying the weight alone. The batting
            cricket was a choice rather than an   a game sophisticated enough for the   chapter of growth. He returned stron-  has depth, the bowling has discipline
            economic  necessity.  Interestingly,  he   highest level.           ger  in  2024,  and  by  2025  RCB  had   and the leadership has stability. Pati-
            started  out  as  an  off-spinner  before   Ironically,  his  IPL  breakthrough   handed him one of the most scrutinised   dar  has  become  the  bridge  between
            former  India  batter  Amay  Khurasi-  arrived  only  after  rejection.  His  first   jobs  in  franchise  cricket:  captaincy.  RCB’s emotional past and its method-
            ya identified qualities that would de-  season with RCB in 2021 yielded just   When  RCB  handed  Patidar  the   ical present.
            fine  his  future:  exceptional  hand-eye   71  runs  and  resulted  in  his  release.   captaincy in 2025, replacing high-pro-  His record reflects that shift. With
            coordination,  balance  at  the  crease   Worse followed when he went unsold   file leaders like Virat Kohli and Faf du   21  wins  in  31  matches,  Patidar’s  77
            and a naturally fluent bat swing. The   in the 2022 mega auction. For many   Plessis, skepticism was inevitable. But   percent win rate is the highest among
            decision  to  convert  him  into  a  bat-  players, that would have been the end   Patidar’s strength lay in clarity rather   IPL captains with more than one sea-
            ter proved to be a turning point, not   of  the  road.  Instead,  fate  intervened   than  celebrity.  Working  closely  with   son  in  charge.  More  importantly,  he
            only for Patidar but also for Madhya   when  an  injury  to  Luvnith  Sisodia   Andy Flower, Mo Bobat and Dinesh   has turned RCB from perennial enter-
            Pradesh cricket.                  opened  a  replacement  slot  at  RCB.   Karthik, he built  a collaborative cul-  tainers into serial contenders.
                Domestic  cricket  became  the   Patidar,  reportedly  preparing  for  his   ture  that  ended  RCB’s  18-year  title   The  remarkable  part  isn’t  that
            foundation  of  his  growth.  Across  a   wedding, accepted the late call-up and   drought.  Simultaneously,  his  batting   Rajat Patidar changed RCB. It’s that
            first-class  career  worth  more  than   altered the trajectory of his career.  evolved  into  a  formidable  weapon,   he did it so quietly that the rest of the
            5,400 runs at an average approaching   The response was immediate. His   producing 486 runs at a strike rate of   IPL  only  noticed  after  the  blueprint
            46, Patidar developed a rare versatility.   unbeaten 112 against Lucknow Super   nearly 197 this season, highlighted by   was already complete.
            He could grind attacks down over long   Giants in the 2022 Eliminator remains   a stunning 93* off 33 balls against Gu-
            innings, evidenced by a double centu-  one of the most iconic playoff innings   jarat Titans in Qualifier 1.  Archan Mehta is a writer dedicated
            ry against Punjab without a single six,   in IPL history, making him the first un-  That  innings  against  GT  also   to telling compelling stories about
            while also possessing the ability to shift   capped player to score a century in the   symbolised  RCB’s  larger  transfor-  athletes, teams, and the world of cricket

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