Rajat Patidar has made a stellar start to his RCB captaincy career. Under his leadership, in the season opener, the Red Army secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at their home ground, Eden Gardens. In the second match, they breached the fortress of Chepauk, marking a historic win.
This was the first time in 17 years that the Bengaluru-based team defeated the Yellow Brigade at their home. The last time RCB won against CSK at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was during the inaugural IPL season in 2008, after which they endured a 17-year winless streak at this venue.
Rajat Patidar bags a unique RCB Captaincy Record after just 2 games
By defeating KKR at Eden Gardens and CSK at Chepauk, Rajat Patidar has become the first-ever RCB captain to beat both KKR and CSK at their respective home grounds. Interestingly, he has achieved this feat in just his first two games as captain. Before him, seven players, including Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid led RCB, but none managed to accomplish what the newly appointed Rajat Patidar has already done.
Under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, RCB managed to secure a victory at Chepauk in 2008, but he couldn’t lead his side to win at Eden Gardens. On the other hand, some of the RCB captains who followed were able to win at Eden Gardens but always faced defeat at Chepauk.
Not just as a captain, but as a batter too, Rajat Patidar has made an impact in IPL 2025. He played a crucial 34-run knock against KKR and followed it up with a responsible 51-run innings against CSK, which earned him the Man of the Match award.
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With two wins in two matches, RCB currently sits at the top of the points table. To maintain this position, they will need to deliver consistent performances in their remaining 12 league games. Their next match is set for April 2 at their home venue, Chinnaswamy Stadium, where they will face Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans.
