Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended a wait of 6255 days, 18 years, and 17 years on Tuesday (June 3) after they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) final to lift the trophy for the first time under Rajat Patidar's captaincy.

Patidar created history by becoming the franchise's first-ever title-winning captain. While some of the greatest players to ever play the sport, including Virat Kohli, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Daniel Vettori, Kevin Pietersen, and Faf du Plessis have led the team, it is Patidar that has led them to the holy grail.

Patidar joined RCB ahead of the 2021 season when he was purchased for his base price of Rs. 20 lakhs. That season, the Madhya Pradesh (MP) batter made his debut for th franchise and made 71 runs in four matches.

However, Patidar did not play any matches in the second half of the season after the tournament moved to the UAE. In the 2022 mega Auction, Patidar did not attract any interest from RCB and went unsold.

This is where a twist of fate turned around Patidar's career and RCB's fortunes. An injury to Luvnith Sissodia just a few days after the tournament started meant that the wicket-keeper batter was ruled out of the tournament and the franchise opted to sign Patidar as an injury replacement.

It did not take long for RCB to draft Patidar into the playing XI, and the star batter took no time to become a mainstay. He played eight matches in the 2022 season and scored 333 runs at an average of 55.50 and strike-rate of 152.75.

Patidar became the first and only uncapped batter to date to score a century in a playoff match in the IPL with a ton against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the eliminator.

Later, the MP star ended missing the 2023 season due to an injury but was a key member of the side's heroic comeback in the 2024 campaign with 395 runs in 13 innings at a strike-rate of 177.13.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Patidar was one of three players retained by RCB alongside Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal. At the maga auction, many expected RCB to be big in big numbers for a new captain after releasing Faf du Plessis.

However, the franchise took a leap of faith and named Patidar captain, a decision that has proven to be a masterstroke.

Patidar is just the fourth captain in IPL history to win the title in his debut season leading a franchise after Shane Warne, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya.

As far as Sisodia is concerned, he was purchased by KKR for Rs. 30 Lakhs in the 2025 mega auction but did not play a single game. The Karnataka star is yet to make his debut in the IPL.

While Sisodia's career suffered because of the injury, one has to wonder where Patidar and RCB would have been if not for the mid-season signing.

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