Latest news with #JourneytotheFinale
Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
RCB win IPL 2025: Rajat Patidar, the soft-spoken man of steel, who leads RCB to their first ever title
Rajat Patidar shakes his head in amusement when probed about a tactical move he cherishes from the IPL, in a show with RCB Bold Diaries. 'Aise kuch nahin,' he says, trying to shake off the question, before he fishes out favourite moment. 'It was during the second league game against Punjab Kings. Prabhsimran Singh was taking the fast bowlers apart when I thought of bringing a spinner. He was hitting in a flow, and off-pace could disrupt it,' he explained his reasoning. He introduced left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya who immediately got the wicket. The incident offered a peep into Patidar's thought stream. His plans are not grand or elaborate, but simple, practical and designed on the move. 'Half of the work (strategising) is done by our experienced support staff, I just have to take care of the on-field issues,' he says with a self-deprecatory smile that suggests that the weight of the role is not crushing him. And on Tuesday, he led RCB to the promised land, delivering the franchise's first ever IPL trophy. The man on the camera, sitting relaxed on a blazing bindi-red couch is the man of the field too. He has the gift of being visible yet invisible at the same is laid back, yet serious, he is not chatty, but his words are measured and meaningful. On the field, he blends into his teammates, is not camera-conscious, rather escapes the camera without even the cameras realising it, is not ultra expressive, but has expressive eyes but an undemonstrative face. He is not the most vocal person of the field, there is a chorus of experienced hands for making the noise. He largely lets the bowlers choose their field, but conveys his opinions when he feels he has to. He rarely vents out his rage or angst. Even in the most anxious moment he keeps his poise, a trait that has won him praise from coaches and pundits. 'There's a calmness and a simplicity to Rajat,' extolls head coach Andy Flower. Staying grounded is the trait that pleased Dinesh Karthik, RCB's mentor and batting coach. 'He has been the biggest eye-opener for me in life,' Karthik said on the second episode of RCB's Journey to the Finale. 'Because when people suddenly get a little bit of adulation, power, they tend to change… But with Rajat Patidar — what a guy. He has been exactly the same that he was before becoming the captain.' Making him captain was not a desperate or whimsical decision. Flower and Co had watched his style of captaincy in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and detected ample traits in him to lead one of the most popular franchises in the league. 'We really liked what we saw. He's inherently a quiet guy, but observing him, he cares about the people around him. He cares about the people that he plays with, that he shares a dressing room with. And I think that's a quality that means that he will instantly have respect and care from other people, and that, as a leader, those qualities are important in that people will follow you and get behind you. At the same time there is stubbornness and steeliness about him.' The coaches that had moulded him swear on the qualities too. His childhood coach Ram Atre's mind rewinds to the chilly winter mornings of Indore when Patidar would have readied the pitch before the coaches arrived. 'We don't have curators or groundsmen to make the pitch. Usually, the task fell on the freshers to keep the pitch ready before the practice session. But Rajat would do it even after he became a senior player of the club. He was a popular guy, friendly and always talking with a smile on his face. The junior players would flock to him for advice and he would patiently explain to them whatever they had asked for,' he remembers. He had a fierce winning mentality but never pours his anger on his teammates even if they end up on the losing side. 'Of course, he tells them where they have gone wrong, but never puts the blame on others. Rather, he will think deeply about where he has erred and work on it until he gets it corrected. He had the drive from the moment he joined the club. He was six or seven at that time.' he says, before rattling out another anecdote. He points to a six-year old kid who has come to attend the summer camp. 'Rajat was shorter than him and when he first came here, he could not even clear the infield (which is roughly the size of a backyard) of the Dusshera Maidan ground. But he was patient, trained hard and in four-five weeks' time started clearing it with ease,' he narrates. His journey from being snubbed by RCB to captaining them to the final itself is a testament to his patience and a heart of granite. In the mega auction of 2022, the franchise did not retain him. He was disappointed, but he immediately hit the ground running to play local club cricket. 'Each time he suffered a setback, he would make a comeback with double the energy. He wouldn't show his frustration on the ground or during practice, but work quietly, far from everyone's gaze,' says the coach. But as destiny had it, he was recalled towards the end of the season as an injury replacement. He was in two minds as he was certain that he would mostly bench-warm and his wedding was fixed too. In the end, the love for the game won, he postponed the wedding, rejoined RCB and latched onto the break with an unbeaten 112 against Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator. An ankle injury kept him out of the next season, but RCB retained him, and two years later, he guided them to the final after nine years. When RCB management sounded him about his new role last year, he didn't get overwhelmed but told them that he had captained Madhya Pradesh much, so would go and captain them first before assuming charge of RCB. His heart pounded the first time he walked out for the toss, he told RCB Bold Diaries. 'A lot of questions were passing through my head. Like what I would do with the toss, what if I lose it, about the questions they would ask me. But at the same time I was clear on what I had to do,' he admitted. Two months later, the once-ignored, soft-spoken captain, fulfilled the long unfulfilled dream of RCB with a dream-like narrative of his own.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Dinesh Karthik Calls This RCB Star 'Biggest Eye-Opener' For Him In Life. It's Not Virat Kohli
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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Biggest eye-opener for me in life': Dinesh Karthik lauds RCB captain Rajat Patidar's character
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor has heaped praise on the new skipper , lauding the batter's grounded nature and unchanged behaviour even after taking over the leadership reins of the franchise. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Patidar, 32, was a surprise pick as RCB captain ahead of IPL 2025, especially given his limited captaincy experience — his most notable being leading Madhya Pradesh to the final of the 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yet, according to Karthik, the responsibility hasn't altered Patidar's core character. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. "Rajat Patidar has been the biggest eye-opener for me in life," Karthik said on the second episode of RCB's Journey to the Finale. "Because when people suddenly get a little bit of adulation, power, they tend to change… But with Rajat Patidar — what a guy. He has been exactly the same that he was before becoming the captain." RCB have ended a nine-year wait to reach the IPL final, steamrolling Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 1 with an eight-wicket win. A collective bowling effort dismantled PBKS for 101 in 14.1 overs before Phil Salt's 27-ball 56 sealed a swift chase in just 10 overs. Poll Do you believe Patidar's humility will positively impact RCB's performance? Yes No Director of Cricket Mo Bobat echoed Karthik's sentiments, praising Patidar's calm, collaborative approach: "He's incredibly calm. And it's been good to see him use the people around him — Jitesh, Virat, Krunal, Josh. He's embraced everyone's strengths." IPL 2025 Winner Prediction: What Greenstone Lobo's Astrology says As RCB prepares for their shot at the elusive title, it's Patidar's humility and quiet steel that seem to be powering the charge.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Karthik calls RCB star 'biggest eye-opener' after reaching IPL 2025 final: 'When people suddenly get power, they change'
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's brilliant run to the IPL 2025 final has had many architects, but none more quietly influential than their new captain, Rajat Patidar. For a side that began the season amid uncertainty with no Faf du Plessis as captain, Patidar emerged not just as a calm tactician but a personality that has won over the dressing room. Dinesh Karthik, RCB's batting coach and mentor, didn't hold back while hailing the skipper's unchanging nature in the face of power. 'Rajat Patidar has been the biggest eye-opener for me in life,' Karthik said during the second episode of RCB's Journey to the Finale, as quoted by News18. '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.' Patidar's rise came on the back of leading Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. But RCB's faith in him, despite having a senior presence like Virat Kohli, was a gamble that has paid off in style. They finished second in the league stage and overcame multiple injury setbacks to storm into the final. The journey has had enormous highs even as RCB won just one match at their home ground in Bengaluru. They lost key names like Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, and even Patidar himself for brief spells. Yet, their consistency and ability to regroup made them one of the most dangerous sides in the tournament. RCB's Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, also underlined Patidar's steady presence and willingness to lean on the group. '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,' Bobat said. '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.'
