Virat Kohli's special message for Rajat Patidar: ‘Injury replacement to IPL-winning captain’; gifts bat as souvenir

Rajat Patidar was destined to lift the Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Coming into Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2021, Patidar could not do much before being subsequently released. Unsold at the 2022 auction, Patidar was brought into the side as an injury replacement for Luvnith Sisodia.

Patidar's century against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the playoffs proved to be the turning point of his career. The Madhya Pradesh batter was retained ahead of the 2023 season, but missed due to an Achilles Heel injury. With 395 runs from 13 innings in IPL 2024 and Faf du Plessis leaving the franchise, Patidar was named as the captain for the IPL 2025 season.

With former captain Virat Kohli behind him, Patidar was spot on in his leadership as RCB dominated throughout the IPL 2025 to finish in the top two after the league stage, for the first time since 2016.

Kohli did not forget to make a special mention of Patidar. In a video released by RCB on their social media handles, Kohli enters the dressing room with former teammate AB de Villiers by his side. Upon entering the dressing room, Kohli spots Patidar, sitting quietly, possibly recalling his journey in the last few years.

"What a turnaround," came words from Kohli, pointing at Patidar. "Injury replacement to IPL-winning captain, bloody hell, that's a turnaround," added Kohli.

Kohli also gave Patidar one of his bats, which the RCB skipper accepted with a kiss on the willow.

RCB's victory celebrations in Bengaluru

Following the win, Kohli time and again mentioned he wanted to celebrate the trophy with the fans. With De Villiers and Chris Gayle by his side, Kohli urged them to join in the celebrations in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

"I hope these two are coming to Bengaluru tomorrow with us. It's going to be something special," he said. 

Kohli's short message sent the fans into a frenzy. Minutes later, host broadcaster Star Sports confirmed that they would be covering the celebrations. A victory parade is on the cards, although the exact itinerary has yet to be announced.

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