Not Virat Kohli, but Rajat Patidar will lead RCB in IPL 2025

Check out: List of Players with Highest Batting Average in IPL

Who is RCB Captain in IPL 2025?

Rajat Patidar has been named the new captain for RCB in IPL 2025. He has been part of the RCB setup since 2021. He has played 27 games for the three-time finalists after missing the 2023 season due to a heel injury. Patidar as a batter has played a huge role in the success of the franchise. He has scored 799 runs at an average of close to 35 while striking at a rate of almost 160. He was instrumental in RCB reaching the playoffs in IPL 2024 as he scored 395 runs at a strike rate of 177.

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He will be leading an IPL side for the first time but has some experience in the role while leading the Madhya Pradesh team in domestic cricket. He led MP to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (India’s premier domestic T20 tournament) in 2024. He was also their captain during the season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. As a batter, Patidar impressed everyone in the two domestic tournaments. He was the second-highest run-scorer in SMAT making 428 runs at an average of 61 while striking at 186.

Rajat Patidar vs Virat Kohli: Stats as captain

Apart from Patidar, the popular and fan-favorite choice for the captaincy role was Virat Kohli. The former Indian skipper has already led RCB in the tournament in 143 games. Kohli had a pretty ordinary record while leading the side. In 143 IPL games he captained, RCB managed to win only on 66 occasions. He is the only captain in the history of the tournament to lead in 100 games and still has a negative win/loss ratio.

Patidar on the other hand has a minimal sample size while leading the MP team in the SMAT 2024. In 10 games as the captain of MP, Patidar won eight matches and led the team to the final of the domestic T20 tournament last year. 

Also read: List of player with Best Strike Rate in IPL history

IPL Teams and their captains in 2025

As Rajat Patidar was named the RCB captain for IPL 2025, eight teams have now finalized their skipper for the upcoming season. Only Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders are the two teams who have not announced their captain. KKR are the defending champions and were led by Shreyas Iyer in the previous season. However, Iyer will be captaining the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. Rishabh Pant on the other hand captained DC and will now be leading the Lucknow Supergiants.