Rajat Patidar was one of the Indian picks for Royal Challengers Bangalore (now called Royal Challengers Bengaluru) during the 2021 auctions of the Indian Premier League. 

Coming in as a replacement for Luvnith Sisodia in IPL 2023, Patidar played one of the finest knocks of his career, scoring a century in the Eliminator. He later became the first RCB captain to lift the ultimate silverware.

Rajat Patidar Domestic Career

Rajat Patidar has been a consistent pillar for Madhya Pradesh since rising through the Under-19 and Under-22 ranks. He made a grand entrance into First-Class cricket in October 2015 against Baroda, scoring 60 and 101 on debut. Shortly after, he flourished in the 2015-16 Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing three hundreds and a fifty in his first ten List-A outings.

His T20 debut followed in 2018, but it was the 2020-21 season that truly defined him; he became the "man in form" for Madhya Pradesh, lighting up the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a 51-ball 96 and dominating the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 219 runs.

Patidar’s domestic legacy is headlined by his performance in the 2022 Ranji Trophy final, where his century against Mumbai led Madhya Pradesh to a historic title. Following an injury hiatus in 2023, he returned to domestic cricket with even greater intent.

In the 2024-25 season, he captained Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, finishing as one of the top run-scorers with 428 runs at a staggering strike rate of 186.08. His red-ball prowess remained equally sharp, as he amassed 519 runs in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season at an average of 51.4, further solidifying his reputation as an all-format specialist.

Rajat Patidar IPL Career

Rajat Patidar’s IPL journey is a remarkable tale of resilience. Originally bought by RCB for INR 20 lakhs in 2021, he was released and went unsold in the 2022 mega auction. 

In a career-changing twist, RCB roped him back in as an injury replacement for Luvnith Sisodia. Patidar seized the opportunity, cracking 333 runs in the 2022 season, including a legendary, match-winning hundred in the Eliminator against LSG.

After missing the 2023 season due to surgery, he returned in IPL 2024 to strike 395 runs at a high-octane strike rate of 177.13. His evolution reached its pinnacle in February 2025; after being retained for INR 11 crore, Patidar was officially named RCB's Captain for the IPL 2025 season.

This appointment surprised many who anticipated a return to leadership for Virat Kohli, but RCB management cited Patidar’s calm demeanour, situational awareness, and successful captaincy stint with Madhya Pradesh as the primary reasons for handing him the reins of the franchise.

In his maiden IPL as the captain, Rajat Patidar broke RCB’s trophy drought, winning the IPL 2025. He is described as a "brave" leader, capable of making quick decisions and taking the game to the opposition. 

(As of March 2026)