In a significant leadership shift, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has named Rajat Patidar as their captain for the IPL 2025 season. The announcement was made on Thursday at an event in Bengaluru, attended by RCB COO Rajesh Menon, team director Mo Bobat, head coach Andy Flower, and the newly appointed skipper himself. 

Patidar, who has been with RCB since 2021, emerged as the natural choice for captaincy after consistently proving his mettle in the IPL and domestic cricket. The right-handed opener has played 27 IPL matches, scoring 799 runs at an average of 34.74. His leadership credentials were further highlighted in 2024 when he led Madhya Pradesh to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer. 

This leadership change comes after RCB parted ways with former captain Faf du Plessis, who had led the team for three seasons. Interestingly, despite the availability of experienced captains like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer in the IPL 2025 auction, RCB chose not to aggressively pursue any of them. Instead, the franchise placed its faith in homegrown talent, retaining only three key players—Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, and Patidar—ahead of the auction. 

RCB’s Squad Composition for IPL 2025

RCB has assembled a balanced 22-player squad for the upcoming season, blending seasoned international stars with promising Indian talent. Among their notable signings are England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, power-hitter Tim David, and Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar. 

Complete RCB Squad for IPL 2025

Batters: Virat Kohli, Captain Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara. 

Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma 

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

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

Spinners: Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee