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

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).