He has led his troops impeccably in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Rajat Patidar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has extended his gratitude to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach Chandrakant Pandit after his success as captain of the Madhya Pradesh (MP) team. Notably, Patidar has marshalled his troops impeccably as MP qualified for the finals of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
Pandit is also the coach of the Madhya Pradesh team in domestic cricket and Patidar has praised the veteran coach for molding his captaincy skills.
Speaking to PTI, Patidar said, “I learned a lot about captaincy from my coach Chandrakant Pandit. “Everyone knows that he is the best coach in India.”
Rajat Patidar himself is also enjoying stellar form with the bat and is currently the third highest run-scorer in SMAT, amassing 347 runs in 8 games at an impressive average of 49.57, including four fifties.
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Will Rajat Patidar become the next captain of RCB?
Although there is no official confirmation yet, Rajat Patidar is among the favorites to take up the RCB captaincy role. Furthermore, his stellar performance with the bat and leadership skills in SMAT will only support his cause.
Patidar was also one of the three players along with Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal who were retained by the franchise ahead of last month’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction, clearly indicating that the RCB management views him as a long-term investment.
On the other hand, there is also speculation that former franchise captain and star batsman Virat Kohli will once again take the reins of captaincy, but it seems unlikely that he will occupy the position again in 2025. Among the contenders for the position are the new additions Phil Salt, with the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman recently displaying his leadership skills while captaining England in white-ball cricket.
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