Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has named Rajat Patidar the captain of RCB for IPL 2025, a leadership change that's notable for the franchise. It was announced on Thursday at an event in Bengaluru, and it was attended by RCB COO Rajesh Menon, team director Mo Bobat, and head coach Andy Flower along with Patidar.

Patidar, who has played with RCB since 2021, was the obvious choice after establishing himself in the IPL and domestic circuit. The right-handed opener has featured in 27 IPL games, making 799 runs at 34.74. His leadership qualities were outstanding in 2024, when he guided Madhya Pradesh into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament.

RCB’s leadership change follows the release of former captain Faf du Plessis, who led the team for three seasons. Surprisingly, despite several experienced captains available in the IPL 2025 auction—including KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer—RCB opted against pursuing any of them aggressively.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru name Rajat Patidar as new skipper ahead of IPL 2025[Image source - Wion]

Alternatively, the team had only three bedrocks available at the start of the auction: Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, and Patidar showing their confidence in home leadership. 

New signings & overseas players in the RCB squad

In the auction, RCB built a 22-player team with a balance of seasoned internationals and developing Indian performers. England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood and Tim David, and Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar were among the major signings.

Complete RCB squad for IPL 2025

Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara.

Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma.

All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell.

Fast bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh.

Spinners: Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee.

Also read: IPL 2025 Auction: Full list of sold and unsold players