'I didn't want to come as replacement': RCB captain Rajat Patidar recalls snub, says 'I always felt...'

RCB captain Rajat Patidar recalls snub (RCB Photo)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar spoke candidly about the emotional rollercoaster that followed his exclusion from the 2022 mega auction despite earlier guarantees and how Virat Kohli's support enabled him to adjust to his new leadership position. As the team continues to contend for its first IPL championship, Patidar, who has amassed 239 runs in 11 games in IPL 2025, is an important member of RCB's middle order. However, the path to this role has not been easy.

“I had got a message (ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022) that you be ready... that we will pick you. I had a little hope that I will get another chance (to play for RCB). But I wasn't picked in the mega auction. I was a little sad,” Patidar said on the RCB Podcast.

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The injury to Luvnith Sisodia transformed that disappointment into a second opportunity. But Patidar wasn't too pleased even then. “I (had) started playing in my local matches in Indore (after not getting picked in the auction). Then, I got a call that 'we are picking you as a replacement for Luvnith Sisodia', who was injured. To tell you frankly, I didn't want to come as a replacement because I knew that I won't get a chance to play there, and I always feel that I don't want to sit there (in dugout).

“I wasn't angry. It was like, if they didn't pick me (during the auction), then I won't get it (get to play). I was angry for a while but then I was normal,” he recalled.

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Patidar said that it was intimidating to take over a position that Virat Kohli had previously held. “I had a lot of questions like, there are so many (big players) in the team. Virat Kohli is such a big player, how will you do it under him. I know how supportive he is about this (captaincy change).

“I knew I have his full support... So, I will learn as much as I can from him. Because no one has the experience and ideas that he has in every role.”

When Kohli gave over the captaincy plaque, Patidar said it was an unforgettable moment. “When he was giving it to me, I was a bit worried about how to take it. I was completely blank... Then he said a couple of words like, 'you deserve it, you earned it'. So I felt a little bit okay... I think that was a special moment.”