New Delhi, May 31 (). A calm natured boy. Less friends-friends. Passion for cricket and habit of being extremely disciplined since childhood. The story of Indian batsman Rajat Patidar has been similar. Rajat initially wanted to become a fast bowler, but after the coach’s persuasion, he recognized his ability in batting.
Rajat was born on June 1, 1993 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Rajat belonged to a middle class family and his father Manohar Patidar had a motor pump business. Rajat had a special love for cricket from the very beginning. However, he was one of the very quiet children. Rajat minded his own business. Since childhood, Rajat liked to remain disciplined. At the age of 8, Rajat joined a cricket club.
Only after two years, Rajat started playing with players older than his age. Rajat was more interested in cricket than studies and this was the reason why he could not study further after 12th. Rajat initially wanted to become a fast bowler, but his coach saw Rajat’s potential as a batsman. After this Rajat left the ball and took hold of the bat.
The hard work continued on the 22-yard pitch and in the year 2015, Rajat made his first class debut for Madhya Pradesh. Rajat kept proving his ability from time to time in domestic cricket. However, coming from a city like Madhya Pradesh, Rajat did not get any special recognition in the beginning. However, luck changed and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought him for 20 lakhs for IPL 2021. This season Rajat got a chance to play only 4 matches and he could score only 71 runs. RCB released him. However, amidst the disappointment, good news came for Rajat.
Lavneet Sisodia got injured in the middle of IPL 2022 and Rajat Patidar was included in the team as a replacement. Rajat was successful in making a mark with the bat this season and scored 333 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 152. However, fate once again played a role and due to injury, Rajat remained sitting on the bench for the entire IPL 2023 season. In the same year, he got a call from the Indian team and made his international debut against South Africa.
However, in IPL 2024, Rajat once again proved his ability. He scored 395 runs in 15 matches playing at a strike rate of 177. After the successful season of 2024, Rajat entered the Indian Test team. Rajat could not show anything special in Team India’s jersey and could score only 63 runs in 6 innings. However, his strong performance continued in the IPL.
Rajat was given the captaincy of RCB in IPL 2025 and this season proved to be historic for him and RCB. Rajat ended the drought of 18 years and made RCB the champion for the first time under his captaincy. He also scored 312 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 143. The IPL title also gave Rajat recognition at the international level. However, Rajat would definitely like to give memorable performances in the Indian team jersey in the coming years after the IPL.
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