Rajat Patidar’s appointment as the new captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been quite an unexpected revelation for fans. Rajat is undoubtedly a talented player, but perhaps he has yet to achieve the milestones that would make him an obvious choice to lead an iconic franchise like RCB.
He will be the least experienced player in international cricket to ever captain an IPL team. Rajat has played only 4 matches for India—3 Tests and 1 ODI. His IPL career is also relatively short, spanning just 27 matches since making his debut in 2021. So far, he has played three seasons for RCB.
RCB did not purchase an experienced captain in the IPL 2025 auction, but if we look at their current squad, there are candidates who could be better choices for captaincy than Rajat Patidar. Let’s take a look at three such names in this space.
3. Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya has previously served as the stand-in captain for the Lucknow Super Giants. In KL Rahul’s absence, he led the team in 6 matches, out of which LSG won 3, lost 2, and 1 ended with no result.
Krunal also captains Baroda in domestic cricket and has an impressive record as a leader. Under his captaincy, Baroda were runners-up in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and in the 2024 edition, he guided his team to the semi-finals. With this level of experience, RCB could have entrusted Krunal with the captaincy baton.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
In 2025, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set for a homecoming. Back in 2009, the Meerut-born pacer earned his first IPL contract with RCB. Today, Bhuvneshwar is regarded as an IPL great and also brings considerable captaincy experience to the table. He has previously captained Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL as well as Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. Most recently, he led Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar may not be in the form of his life, yet Royal Challengers Bengaluru made a big bid of ₹10.75 crore to secure him. It seemed that such a big amount was perhaps for his leadership experience, and RCB might have been considering him for the captaincy role.
However, that didn’t happen. Before handing over the captaincy baton to Rajat Patidar, RCB could have allowed a seasoned leader like Bhuvneshwar to groom him. Rajat could have been appointed as the vice-captain, learning under Bhuvi’s guidance.
1. Virat Kohli
Since the IPL 2025 auction, there were rumors that Virat Kohli would return to lead RCB in the upcoming season. Kohli had captained the Red Army from 2013 to 2021. The fact that RCB didn’t pick any experienced captain in the auction only fueled these rumors, making fans believe that Kohli might take up the role again.
The captaincy announcement was highly anticipated, with expectations that RCB was building hype to reveal Kohli’s name. However, when Rajat Patidar was named captain, most RCB fans were disappointed, as they had hoped for Kohli’s return.
If Virat Kohli had been appointed captain, it could have brought renewed energy to both the fans and the team. Kohli is known for his aggressive captaincy, and as a leader, his batting performances often reach another level.
Nonetheless, fans must respect RCB management’s decision and give Rajat Patidar the opportunity to prove himself. All eyes will be on how he handles the pressures of captaincy in IPL 2025 and whether he can lead RCB to their elusive maiden title.