Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar spoke about his aggressive leadership style after their emphatic win in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
RCB kicked off their campaign with a seven-wicket victory over the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens on March 22. It was a clinical performance by the Bengaluru-based franchise under the new captain Patidar.
Asked to bat first, KKR were on course to post a mammoth score on the board as they were at 107/1 in 9.5 overs. However, RCB showed great fighting spirit and got back into the game courtesy of a flurry of wickets by their spinners, especially Krunal Pandya who returned with the figures of 3/29 in four overs and was adjudged Player of the Match.
Chasing 175 to win, RCB rode on half-centuries from Virat Kohli (59* off 36), Phil Salt (56* off 31) to overhaul the target 22 deliveries to spare.
Rajat Patidar, who scored 34 off 16 balls in the chase, was delighted to get his captaincy tenure off to a winning start and revealed his aggressive mindset while handing over the ball to Suyash Sharma.
The RCB captain mentioned that he doesn’t mind him going away for runs and only wants to go after wickets. Suyash repaid his captain’s faith by getting the big wicket of Andre Russell after leaking 41 runs in his first three overs.
“There was pressure, but it was a good day for me. If we keep winning like this, it will be a good day. It was pretty clear for me - I don't mind Suyash giving runs, he was our main wicket-taking bowler, so I backed him,” said Patidar in the post-match presentation.
“All credit goes to both the bowlers (Krunal and Suyash), from 13 overs, they showed courage and determination. The mindset of taking wickets was really amazing,” he added.
Patidar was also effusive in praise of Kohli and how it feels to have a star batter around him. “It's really great when you have a player like him, it's a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the great players of the game,” he stated.
Commenting on his shot off Harshit over backward point, Patidar replied: “That was pre-determined shot, I was going over covers, the ball nipped back and it went automatically.”
On the other hand, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane ruled the loss of momentum. He acknowledged that it was Krunal’s spell that changed the course of the game as they were aiming for 200+ score.
“I thought we were going well till the 13th over but 2-3 wickets changed the momentum. Batters that followed tried their best but didn't workout. When myself and Venky were batting we were discussing that 200-210 was achievable but those wickets changed the momentum. Little bit of dew was there but they had a very good powerplay with the bat. It (total) was under par. We were looking for 200+. We don't want to think too much about this game but at the same time just try and get better in certain areas,” said Rahane after the game.
Krunal Pandya also offered insight into his mindset during the spell, revealing how he mastered the change of pace across his four over to outfox the batters.
“When you play against so much crowd, I had to narrow down my focus. If I get hit I had to get hit off a good ball, glad that I could deliver. You have to go with the flow, how cricket is evolving. Batters have the skill-set to hit sixes consistently. You also have to up your game, have to make sure I bowl quicker. Change of pace is associated with pacers but also I tried it. (on his bouncer) Now Jitesh knows what I will do, if it's a wide yorker or a bouncer, if you have something in your armoury, why not use it. (on playing for RCB) It's been amazing, when I got into the team, I realised how much madness there is. The crowd support you get, even in domestic cricket, there also people are chanting RCB. It's been 10 days since I have joined and it's been pretty good,” said Krunal in the post-match presentation.
