Rajat Patidar's Story: Virat Kohli And RCB's Captain, Delayed Wedding For IPL, Meet His Wife, Gunjan

Rajat Manohar Patidar, commonly known as Rajat Patidar, has proved that he is the next big thing in Indian cricket. The right-handed top-order batsman, who is also an off-spinner, has been named Royal Challengers Bengaluru's new captain for the upcoming 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 31-year-old cricketer has taken over from Faf Du Plessis and will now lead RCB in IPL 2025 and beyond.

Rajat Patidar becomes Royal Challengers Bengaluru's new captain

The decision shocked most of the people who were rooting to see Virat Kohli making an emotional return as RCB's captain. For the uninitiated, Kohli captained RCB for nine seasons from 2013 to 2021. Well, the club owners resisted Kohli's temptation and preferred to build for the future with Rajat. It will be interesting to see whether Rajat Patidar will lead RCB to its first title in the coming future.

Rajat Patidar has taken the mantle from Faf Du Plessis, and the Indian batsman is now the eighth player and fourth Indian to become the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. As soon as the official announcement was made public, Kohli shared a video on his X handle congratulating Rajat Patidar for his huge achievement. Kohli said:

"Myself and the other team members will be right behind you, Rajat. The way you have grown in this franchise and the way you have performed, you've made a place in the hearts of all RCB fans. This is very well deserved."

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's new captain, Rajat Patidar, struggled to clear class 8 exams

Rajat Patidar was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on June 1, 1993, into a financially sound family. According to a report in CricFit, Rajat Patidar's father, Manohar Patidar, is a businessman who always supported his son in his dream of playing for India one day. In an interview with ETV Bharat, Manohar Patidar opened up about his son's struggle to reach where he is today. The doting father admitted that Rajat never had any interest in his studies and even struggled to get passing marks in class 8. Manohar Patidar revealed that his son was more inclined towards cricket and never studied properly.

Rajat Patidar completed his schooling from Indore's New Digamber Public School and graduated from Guru Vashishtha College. In the same interview, Manohar Patidar further shared that when his son, Rajat Patidar, got selected for the Ranji Trophy, he gave him full freedom to put his entire focus on cricket. Rajat made his first-class debut in October 2015, during the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy, and his Twenty-20 debut came in January 2018. In the same interview with CricFit, Rajat's father also revealed that his son skipped family events to play cricket even before when he wasn't selected for the IPL. 

Rajat Patidar's journey from being signed as a replacement by RCB for Rs. 20 lakhs to becoming their captain in IPL 2025

It was in February 2021 when Royal Challengers Bengaluru bought Rajat Patidar ahead of the 2021 IPL season at a price tag of just Rs. 20 lakhs. The cricketer scored just 71 runs in four innings and was released by RCB in the 2022 IPL auction, and he went unsold. It was a heartbreaking moment for the young cricketer, but during IPL 2022, RCB's Luvnith Sisodia got injured, and it was when the club signed Rajat as a replacement.

This time, Rajat Patidar shocked everyone by scoring 333 runs in just seven innings, which changed his life. The cricketer was retained in the IPL 2025 auction for Rs. 11 crores by RCB, which also named him as captain. In international cricket, Rajat made his ODI debut on December 21, 2023, against South Africa and was named as a replacement for Virat Kohli in India's Test series against England. 

Meet Rajat Patidar's wife, Gunjan Patidar: The cricketer delayed their wedding due to his selection in IPL

Rajat Patidar is married to a stunning lady named Gunjan Patidar, and they prefer to keep their marriage far from the reach of the media spotlight. There aren't many pictures of the couple in the public domain as they believe in keeping things personal. The cricketer dropped a picture with Gunjan on July 9, 2022, which is supposedly from their engagement ceremony. After the cricketer remained unsold in the IPL 2022 auction, his family finalised his wedding, but all of a sudden, he was called to play for RCB as a replacement, and to join them, Rajat postponed his wedding.

In an old 2022 interview with the Indian Express, Rajat Patidar's father, Manohar Patidar, confirmed that his son was all set to get married on May 9, 2022, in an intimate wedding ceremony. It couldn't happen because RCB signed him for IPL 2022. There's no confirmation whether the two have gotten married, but most media outlets are convinced that the wedding has been done. According to a report in My Khel, the cricketer is married to Gunjan and is leading a happy married life. We hope Rajat Patidar continues to shine on the professional front and make his family and fans proud. 

What are your thoughts on Rajat Patidar's success story? Let us know.

Also Read: Who Is Himanshu Sangwan? Cricketer Who Spoilt Virat Kohli's Ranji Return With A Bus Driver's Advice

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