Rajat Patidar’s rise as Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain continues to be one of the most remarkable stories in the IPL. In just his first two seasons as skipper, Patidar has guided RCB to back-to-back IPL titles, a feat achieved by only a handful of captains in the tournament’s history. While RCB’s squad boasts international stars such as Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Krunal Pandya, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim believes Patidar deserves significant credit for the franchise’s recent dominance.
Speaking after RCB’s successful IPL 2026 campaign, Saba Karim highlighted how Patidar has earned the trust and respect of a dressing room filled with experienced cricketers despite having no international experience himself. “One of the biggest reasons behind RCB winning a second consecutive IPL title has been the clarity around individual roles within the team, and Rajat Patidar deserves a lot of credit for that,” Karim said.
Patidar’s journey has been anything but conventional. He first entered the RCB setup as a replacement player before gradually establishing himself as a key member of the side. His consistent performances eventually earned him the captaincy, and he has repaid that faith in spectacular fashion.
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Karim pointed out that leading a dressing room packed with world-class players is never easy, especially for someone without international credentials. However, Patidar’s calm leadership style and ability to deliver under pressure have helped him command respect from teammates and management alike.
“Rajat earned that respect through performances. Once he established himself, he became instrumental in shaping this side. He has played a major role in building a strong bowling unit and bringing clarity to the team’s plans,” Saba Karim added. The former India cricketer even compared Patidar’s leadership qualities to some of the IPL’s most successful captains, including MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, both of whom built championship-winning teams through strong man-management and tactical clarity.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar also praised RCB’s balanced squad and experienced core. According to Bangar, Bengaluru’s success has been built on assembling players who complement each other and thrive in pressure situations. “RCB always had the potential to achieve something special, but once they found the right combination and tasted success, everything started falling into place,” Bangar said.
He further noted that RCB’s squad resembles an international side due to the amount of experience available across departments. That experience, combined with confidence gained from consecutive title wins, has transformed the franchise into one of the most complete teams in the league.
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With two IPL trophies in two seasons under Patidar’s captaincy, RCB have established themselves as the benchmark team in the competition. If the current structure remains intact, many believe this could be the beginning of a sustained period of success for the Bengaluru franchise.
