Karthik calls RCB star 'biggest eye-opener' after reaching IPL 2025 final: 'When people suddenly get power, they change'

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s brilliant run to the IPL 2025 final has had many architects, but none more quietly influential than their new captain, Rajat Patidar. For a side that began the season amid uncertainty with no Faf du Plessis as captain, Patidar emerged not just as a calm tactician but a personality that has won over the dressing room. Dinesh Karthik, RCB’s batting coach and mentor, didn’t hold back while hailing the skipper’s unchanging nature in the face of power. Royal Challengers Bengaluru's batting coach Dinesh Karthik bats in nets ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru(AFP)

“Rajat Patidar has been the biggest eye-opener for me in life,” Karthik said during the second episode of RCB’s Journey to the Finale, as quoted by News18.

“Because when people suddenly get a little bit of adulation, power, they tend to change. It’s normal. Their behavioural pattern, the way they kind of interact. Somewhere, something will show. But with Rajat Patidar, what a guy he is. For someone who is a captain of RCB, and today he calls the shots, he has been exactly the same that he was before becoming the captain, Rajat.”

Patidar’s rise came on the back of leading Madhya Pradesh to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. But RCB’s faith in him, despite having a senior presence like Virat Kohli, was a gamble that has paid off in style. They finished second in the league stage and overcame multiple injury setbacks to storm into the final.

The journey has had enormous highs even as RCB won just one match at their home ground in Bengaluru. They lost key names like Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, and even Patidar himself for brief spells. Yet, their consistency and ability to regroup made them one of the most dangerous sides in the tournament.

Bobat on Patidar

RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, also underlined Patidar’s steady presence and willingness to lean on the group.

“I think one of the most impressive things that Rajat has shown is that, and he does this as a personality and character anyway, anyone who knows him knows he’s incredibly calm,” Bobat said. “And it’s been good to see him use the people around him, whether that’s Jitesh as vice-captain, or Virat as a senior player, Krunal as another senior player, or even someone like Josh Hazlewood.”

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