Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Madhya Pradesh’s 31-year-old batsman Rajat Patidar has been officially named captain of his team for a major tournament.

Rajat Patidar has been given the captaincy responsibility of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association to lead the team in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.

Also Read: IPL 2025 auction: Rishabh Pant’s INR 25-30 crore deal with RCB leaked by Suresh Raina

Rajat Patidar set to lead star-studded Madhya Pradesh team

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a national T20 cricket championship and is named after former Test cricketer Syed Mushtaq Ali.

The inaugural edition of the competition was won by Dinesh Karthik-led Tamil Nadu in the 2006-07 season, and the Punjab team won the previous edition of the competition (2023) and will head into the next tournament as defending champions.

Syed Mushtaq Ali 2024 will begin on Saturday, November 23 and Madhya Pradesh will take on Mizoram in its opening clash. Rajat Patidar will have a big responsibility on his shoulders to lead a star-studded lineup to the title as MP is yet to clinch the SMAT championship.

Apart from Rajat Patidar, the Madhya Pradesh team has star players like Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kartikeya and Harpreet Singh.

Rajat Patidar to lead Madhya Pradesh team in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament! 🔥#RajatPatidar #SMAT #SMAT2024 pic.twitter.com/YeRZuyQuJR

– Sabir Zafar (@Sabir_Saabu01) November 19, 2024

Rajat Patidar retained by RCB

Rajat Patidar was among the three players retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24-25.

Virat Kohli was the franchise’s top retainer for INR 21 crore, and Rajat Patidar was the second retainer for INR 11 crore. Also, RCB kept Yash Dayal in their team for INR 5 crore as he was retained in the uncapped category.

In total, they have spent Rs 37 million and are left with a purse of Rs 83 million. They will enter the mega auction with three Right-To-Match cards in their bag.

There are high chances that Royal Challengers Bengaluru will use their Right-to-Match (RTM) card for star pacer Mohammed Siraj as he has been a member of the franchise for a long time. Other players who can use their RTM for are Glenn Maxwell and Will Jacks.

Who are the other captains of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024?

The upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be a mini-IPL as several star cricketers will be seen in action in the premier T20 tournament.

IPL winning captain Shreyas Iyer will lead the Mumbai team while Chennai Super captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the Maharashtra team.

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson will lead Kerela, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, Tilak Varma and Shahrukh Khan will captain Uttar Pradesh, Baroda, Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu.

Additionally, Vidarbha, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Delhi will be led by Jitesh Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Agarwa,ly Ayush Badoni.

Complete list of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy winners: