Rajat Patidar is an Indian cricketer who plays as a right-handed top-order batsman. He represents Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket and has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL), most prominently for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He has also represented India at the international level across formats.
| Full name | Rajat Patidar |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Batting style | Right-handed |
| Role | Top-order batsman |
| Domestic team | Madhya Pradesh |
| IPL team | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| National team | India |
Patidar was born and brought up in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He came through age-group cricket in the state and progressed through the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association's structure before establishing himself in the senior domestic side. He is known for a compact, orthodox batting technique combined with a strong array of strokes against pace and spin.
Patidar made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and went on to become a regular feature in the team's top order. He also represents Madhya Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (List A) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (Twenty20).
He played a central role in Madhya Pradesh's Ranji Trophy title in the 2021–22 season, when the team, led by Aditya Shrivastava and coached by Chandrakant Pandit, defeated Mumbai in the final. Patidar's consistent run-scoring across the campaign was an important part of the side's title run.
Patidar entered the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He gained wider recognition during the 2022 IPL season, when he was called in as a replacement and scored an unbeaten century in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants, becoming one of the few uncapped players at the time to score a hundred in an IPL playoff. He continued to be associated with RCB in subsequent seasons as a key middle-order option.
In the lead-up to the 2025 IPL season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru appointed him as captain of the franchise.
Patidar made his international debut for India after sustained domestic and IPL performances. He has featured in Test cricket as well as in white-ball formats, with his red-ball selection coming during India's home Test commitments. He has been used as a middle-order batsman at the international level.
Patidar is regarded as a strong square-of-the-wicket player with a particular ability to hit through the off side and over the leg-side infield. He plays both pace and spin with an attacking intent and is comfortable taking on bowlers in the middle overs in limited-overs cricket.
Patidar is considered one of the prominent batsmen to emerge from Madhya Pradesh's domestic cricket setup in recent years. His progression from the Ranji Trophy circuit to the IPL and the India side is often cited as an example of the role of strong domestic performances in selection. His leadership appointment at Royal Challengers Bengaluru also marks a notable phase in his career.