'He said you've earned it and it calmed me down': Patidar recalls the moment Virat handed him RCB captaincy

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar reflected on the surreal moment when Virat Kohli handed him the franchise’s captaincy ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and said he didn't know how to react to the situation then Kohli calmed him down, saying "you deserve it, you earned it".

Speaking on the RCB Podcast, the 31-year-old Patidar reflected on his journey from being rejected at the 2022 IPL mega auction despite prior assurance from the RCB management, to becoming the leader of a franchise still chasing its elusive maiden IPL title.

Back in 2022, Patidar was quietly confident that he’d be picked at the mega auction. "I had got a message (ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022) that you be ready... that we will pick you. I had a little hope that I will get another chance (to play for RCB). But I wasn't picked in the mega auction. I was a little sad," said Patidar on an RCB Podcast.

"I (had) started playing in my local matches in Indore (after not getting picked in the auction). Then, I got a call that 'we are picking you as a replacement for Luvnith Sisodia', who was injured. To tell you frankly, I didn't want to come as a replacement because I knew that I wouldn't get a chance to play there, and I always feel that I don't want to sit there (in the dugout). I wasn't angry. It was like, if they didn't pick me (during the auction), then I won't get it (get to play). I was angry for a while, but then I was normal," said Patidar.

Three years later, in a season that began with speculation around leadership transition, RCB stunned everyone by naming Rajat Patidar as captain for IPL 2025.

"I had a lot of questions like, there are so many (big players) in the team. Virat Kohli is such a big player, how will you do it under him. I know how supportive he is about this (captaincy change). I knew I have his full support. Like I said, this is a learning for me, it's an opportunity for me. So, I will learn as much as I can from him. Because no one has the experience and ideas that he has in every role -- be it batting, as an individual and as a captain. I have seen him (Kohli) since I started watching TV — in the IPL, off the field, in the Indian team. To take that thing (the captaincy plaque) from him… it was very special,” Patidar said.

"When he was giving it to me, I didn’t know how to react. I held it, looked at him, and asked myself, ‘What should I do now?’ Then he said, ‘You deserve it, you earned it.’ That calmed me down," he recalled.

Patidar has led RCB in 11 matches this season and won 8 of them, scoring 239 runs in the middle order and maintaining a calm, methodical approach to captaincy. He came into IPL 2025 fresh off leading Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final.

--IANS

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