For nearly two decades, Royal Challengers Bengaluru carried the tag of almost-there. The squad has featured a stunning mix of names and legends\u2014Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, and Marcus Stoinis among them\u2014yet the franchise trophy still refused to arrive. Even Kohli\u2019s individual brilliance couldn\u2019t break the spell, most notably in 2016 when he piled up a staggering 973 runs, only for the title to slip away once again. That same season, Sunrisers Hyderabad\u2019s Ben Cutting became the defining figure as the trophy was wrested from RCB\u2019s reach, leaving the Bengaluru faithful with another painful reminder that star power does not automatically translate into silverware.<\/p>\n
Everything, though, appears to have shifted after Rajat Patidar\u2019s rise into captaincy. Under his leadership, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have gone on to claim IPL titles in consecutive seasons. On Sunday night, in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium, Patidar and his team completed the double by beating the home side, Gujarat Titans, in the summit match of the 19th edition of the T20 competition.<\/p>\n
Patidar\u2019s campaign has been more than a captain\u2019s storyline\u2014it has been backed by numbers. The right-handed batter from Madhya Pradesh produced 501 runs in 15 matches, maintaining an average of 41.75 while striking at 192.69. His most emphatic moment arrived in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans, where he took control with a knock of 93. The innings swung momentum decisively, as he punished the bowling in all directions to propel RCB over the line.<\/p>\n
So influential has his form been that his name is now being linked with India selection. Many expect Patidar could be fast-tracked into the T20I setup for the forthcoming assignments against Ireland and England. Across the entire IPL, he consistently came in at No. 4 and looked intent on shaping the contest immediately\u2014whether the opposition brought pacers or turned to spinners.<\/p>\n
Despite the confidence his batting style suggests, Patidar insisted there was no rigid plan laid out the moment he walked in. \u201cIt\u2019s not like that I had to go in and target the bowlers from ball number one. No one in the team was doing that. It\u2019s important to back your instincts. We did a lot of hard work before the tournament with DK (Dinesh Karthik, the batting coach). Andy Flower (head coach) and Mo Bobat (Director of Cricket) were also there,\u201d he said during a select media interaction on Monday afternoon in response to a query.<\/p>\n
He further explained how clarity about his role helped him decide when to attack. \u201cMore clarity about my role. I was pretty clear that if I\u2019m batting in the middle overs, I can maximise and I can take a risk. I like taking risks, so if I am playing in the middle overs phase, I like to maximise every bowler. If I feel I have to go after the attack on my second delivery, I back myself and go with full clarity,\u201d Patidar added.<\/p>\n
Patidar\u2019s impact has also drawn admiration from fellow captains and senior voices across the league. In IPL 2026, his dominance reportedly prompted special praise from Shreyas Iyer, the Punjab Kings captain, who described him as the \u201cmost stylish performer.\u201d When asked about that compliment, the 33-year-old said he wasn\u2019t surprised, pointing to the time he has spent around Iyer. \u201cI have spent a lot of time with Shreyas. In my first season in Ranji, we played Mumbai, and at that time, he scored a lot of runs. I admire him a lot. The way he was dominating in red-ball cricket, the shots which he was playing. At that point, it was my first season, and after looking at him, I changed my mindset. The way he was playing, it was unbelievable. Thanks to Shreyas, the words he spoke for me,\u201d Patidar said.<\/p>\n
While the spotlight naturally stays on RCB and their captain, Patidar also made time to acknowledge another standout from the season\u2014Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of the Rajasthan Royals. On Sunday, the young opener, aged just 15, collected multiple awards, including the Orange Cap, after scoring 776 runs in 16 matches.<\/p>\n
Patidar was categorical that Sooryavanshi was the standout performer. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty clear, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He\u2019s so young, and the way he\u2019s dominated this tournament. He just didn\u2019t play; he dominated every top bowler. So the way he played his shots, he\u2019s amazing. Whenever I saw him on TV, it was just superb. I wish him luck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For nearly two decades, Royal Challengers Bengaluru carried the tag of almost-there. The squad has featured a stunning mix of names and legends\u2014Virat Kohli, AB…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Rajat Patidar IPL 2026 Mindset for RCB Trophy Glory","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Rajat Patidar opens up on his IPL 2026 mindset as RCB aim to break the \u201calmost-there\u201d curse and finally chase long-awaited trophy glory.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n