Rajat Patidar reveals Virat Kohli's backing gave him all the support he needed as RCB captain

Patidar on Kohli's backing: "If your idol backs you, you don't need anything else"

Rajat Patidar has opened up about the massive role Virat Kohli played in his stint as RCB skipper — and honestly, it's the kind of mentorship that turns players into leaders.

The man who took over the RCB armband for IPL 2025 didn't just win once. He back-to-back titles — beating Punjab Kings in 2025 to end that 18-year drought, then Gujarat Titans by 5 wkts in 2026. That makes Patidar only the 3rd captain in IPL history to lift the trophy consecutively, joining an elite club with Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

His read on why Kohli's support meant everything:

> "If your idol backs you, then you don't need anything more. I used to notice everything about him when he batted — what he did on the ground, his off-field routine. Later I found he backed me a lot, esp. with the captaincy."

The numbers back it up. Patidar was held at Rs 11 cr for 2025, and he didn't just lead — he delivered with the bat too. In 2026 he was RCB's 2nd-highest run-getter with 501 runs at a ripping SR of 192.69, thriving as a middle-order enforcer who punished spin.

Kohli clearly spotted something in him. As Patidar put it: "It's not easy to hand someone the RCB cap considering the fans and pressure. He must've seen something in me. I don't know what, but I've gotten huge support from him — as a player and a captain."

The takeaway: Leadership transitions at RCB haven't gone smoothly in the past, but Patidar + Kohli's guidance has now produced two championships. If that partnership holds, this could be the start of a genuine RCB dynasty.

Source: Crictracker