Royal Challengers Bengaluru with six wins in eight games are currently placed second in the IPL 2026 points table and are favourites to qualify to the playoffs. Rajat Patidar created history last year by leading RCB to their first IPL title, which other legendary previous skippers of the franchise such as Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis could not achieve.
Former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock said history would remember Patidar as one of the greatest captain of RCB.
“He would go down as the greatest RCB captain. Just straight out – the fact that in his first year as captain he took them to the title. This year, they are basically there already, and you can’t see them losing that many games and not qualifying for the playoffs again,” Shaun Pollock said on Cricbuzz.
“But to have taken over a franchise that had gone so long without winning and then deliver at that level-to get a trophy under your belt-it looks like you are heading for one and two again. At the moment, he is the GOAT.”
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer recently gave a surprising answer in an interview on Star Sports when he was asked which captain he would like to love to pick the brain of. Instead of picking the popular names in the tournament, he chose Patidar.
Meanwhile, RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik praised Patidar for his calm and clear approach to leadership. He said Patidar is well-respected in the team and handles his bowlers with confidence and composure.
Karthik also pointed out that Patidar stays relaxed even under pressure and gets good support from players like Jitesh Sharma, along with experienced stars such as Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
He added that Patidar’s simple nature shows in his captaincy too, as he remains calm, takes clear decisions and deals high-pressure situations really well.
