Patidar has been the biggest eye-opener for me in life, says RCB mentor Karthik

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik has showered praise on skipper Rajat Patidar for how he maintained his down-to-earth demeanour even after becoming the captain of the side, stating that the 32-year-old “has been exactly the same that he was before becoming the captain”.

Ahead of the IPL 2025, RCB stunned everyone by naming Patidar as captain. This is his first time leading an IPL team while his previous leadership experience was leading Madhya Pradesh to the final of the 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“Rajat Patidar has been the biggest eye-opener for me in life. Because when people suddenly get a little bit of adulation, power, they tend to change. It’s normal. Their behavioural pattern, the way they kind of interact. Somewhere, something will show. But with Rajat Patidar, what a guy he is. For someone who is a captain of RCB, and today he calls the shots, he has been exactly the same that he was before becoming the captain, Rajat,” said Karthik on the second episode of RCB’s Journey to the Finale.

RCB have stormed into the IPL final after nine long years following a clinical eight-wicket win against Punjab Kings. Their bowling unit came together to dish out an absolute masterclass, bowling out the PBKS for just 101 in 14.1 overs. With the bat, despite a challenge from Kyle Jamieson, RCB rode on a stunning knock from Phil Salt, who smacked a 27-ball 56 that helped them chase the target in just 10 overs and seal the final berth.

Director of Cricket Mo Bobat also spoke on Patidar’s composed approach and collaborative leadership style and said, “I think one of the most impressive things that Rajat has shown is that, and he does this as a personality and character anyway, anyone who knows him knows he’s incredibly calm.

“And it’s been good to see him use the people around him, whether that’s Jitesh as vice-captain, or Virat as a senior player, Krunal as another senior player, or even someone like Josh Hazlewood.”

Reflecting on the campaign, Bobat spoke about the foundation of the team’s success and the momentum they built early in the season.

“We’ve had a good amount of consistency this season. We were faced with some challenges up front going to those away venues, and that’s where we started. We said to the boys, we want to make a statement start, and I think winning those first few games away from home, places like Chennai and Mumbai, I think, was real confidence for the boys.

“I think that was incredibly helpful. We struggled a little bit at home to begin with, but when we managed to figure out how to win at home, that also gave the boys a lot of confidence, and then from that point onwards, we got on a bit of a roll.

“Getting to the season where lots of people have won one of the match awards is a good reflection of that, loads of people contributing with bat and ball was something that we really wanted as a focus. In general, we’ve had a really tight group off the field. It’s been great seeing them gel,” he said.

IANS