Rajat Patidar reveals Virat Kohli's backing gave him all the support he needed as RCB captain

Rajat Patidar has spoken candidly about the role Virat Kohli played in his development as Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain, saying that having his idol's support meant he did not need anything more. Patidar was appointed RCB captain ahead of the IPL 2025 season and went on to lead the side to the title that year, defeating Punjab Kings to end the franchise's 18-year wait for a championship.

He then guided RCB to a second consecutive IPL title in 2026, beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 2. With that victory, Patidar became only the third captain in IPL history to win back-to-back titles, joining MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in that exclusive group. Patidar spoke about how closely he had observed Kohli over the years and what it meant to learn that Kohli had supported his captaincy appointment.

"If your idol backs you, then you don't need anything more. You don't need anyone else's support. I used to notice everything about him when he batted. From what he did on the ground to what his routine was off the field. Later, I came to know he backed me a lot, including when it came to captaincy," Patidar said in an interview with Sports Launchpad, as quoted by NDTV.

Why did Kohli's support matter so much to Patidar?

Patidar has described Kohli as his idol throughout his career, and the knowledge that someone he had looked up to so deeply had actively backed him for the RCB captaincy carried significant personal weight. Patidar was retained by RCB for Rs 11 crore ahead of the 2025 season, and his appointment as captain came with considerable expectation given the franchise's passionate fanbase and its long wait for silverware.

Patidar repaid that faith not just with his leadership responsibilities, but also contributed with the bat. The skipper was the team's second-highest run-getter in 2026, scoring 501 runs at a blistering strike rate of 192.69. He excelled in a middle-order enforcer role, taking games on in the middle overs and making it easy for the side to score off spinners.

What has Patidar said about Kohli's role within the RCB setup?

Beyond the captaincy appointment itself, Patidar has acknowledged that Kohli's support extended to his overall development as a player and leader within the RCB environment. He noted that Kohli appeared to have identified something in him, even if Patidar himself was unsure exactly what that quality was.

"It is not easy to hand someone the RCB captaincy, considering the fans and the expectations. He must have seen something in me. I don't know what, but I have received a lot of support from him in the team, as a player and as a captain," Patidar said.