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TimesofIndia.com successful Ahmedabad: Rajat Patidar stands connected the brink of history. A triumph implicit Gujarat Titans successful Ahmedabad volition marque the Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper lone the 3rd skipper aft MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to triumph back-to-back
Indian Premier League
(IPL) titles."I've ne'er thought astir what different skipper has done before, and whether I privation to vie with idiosyncratic oregon not. I've ne'er thought astir that," helium told reporters here."And arsenic an individual, my travel has been a rollercoaster. I've ne'er focused connected that. Wherever I am, I absorption connected what I tin bash best."I've ne'er thought astir moving guardant oregon going back. If I'm here, I'm conscionable focusing connected what I tin bash earlier the final. Tomorrow is the final, truthful we'll effort to springiness our best," helium added.Having guided RCB to their long-awaited maiden crown successful 2025, Patidar present has the accidental to cement his spot among the league's astir palmy leaders connected the biggest stage.Patidar played a belligerent 33-ball 93 against GT successful Qualifier 1 and propelled his squad to a thumping 92-run win.Patidar's banal has risen importantly successful caller times, and the swashbuckling batter from Madhya Pradesh, who volition crook 33 successful a mates of days, is progressively being viewed arsenic idiosyncratic who could pb India successful T20Is.
However, the right-handed batter, who has played 3 Tests and a solitary ODI for India, is yet to marque his debut successful the game's shortest format. On the eve of the final, helium dismissed questions astir some nationalist enactment and immoderate ambitions of captaining India."I'm not looking guardant to immoderate enactment regarding India. So, I'm not looking guardant to it," helium said erstwhile asked astir an India call-up.On India's captaincy, Patidar said: "I don't visualise being the T20 skipper of India.
But astatine the aforesaid time, each skipper wants to triumph trophies."Patidar joined RCB successful IPL 2022 arsenic a mid-season replacement for the injured Luvnith Sisodia. He ended IPL 2022 with 333 runs from 8 innings astatine an awesome onslaught complaint of 152.50. Among his standout performances was a breathtaking 112 disconnected 54 balls against Lucknow Super Giants successful the Eliminator. Though RCB's run ended successful the precise adjacent game, helium carried his affluent vein of signifier with a fluent 58 successful Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals.
A fewer weeks later, helium capped disconnected his imagination tally by smashing a match-winning period for Madhya Pradesh against Mumbai successful the Ranji Trophy final.IPL 2022 turned retired to beryllium a game-changer for Patidar.In IPL 2025, helium was handed the captaincy of RCB, a franchise that had ne'er won the trophy. They had travel agonisingly adjacent aggregate times but had ne'er managed to assistance the title.After winning 1 rubric and lasting connected the brink of another, Patidar is not looking astatine the past."Last twelvemonth we did it, but again it's a caller season. You cannot support talking astir 2025 and what we did. You person to beryllium much successful the contiguous and bash immoderate champion you tin bash to triumph the title," helium said."I don't deliberation we changed thing oregon are reasoning differently. We are successful the aforesaid mindset. But arsenic I said earlier, we are not present to support thing with the mindset of defending champions. We person an accidental to triumph 1 much title."We person to support that benignant of mindset that we are present to triumph the title, not support thing that we did successful 2025. It's a caller play and a caller accidental to bash it again successful 2026."He besides pointed to the taste alteration wrong the RCB setup, which was erstwhile heavy babelike connected 1 oregon 2 players."Earlier, determination were 1 oregon 2 players the squad depended on. But present each subordinate is taking work erstwhile helium goes retired to bat oregon bowl," Patidar said."So I deliberation the connection 'responsibility' is the main happening that each idiosyncratic is reasoning about. Responsibility and being anxious to lend to the team."And having the aforesaid mindset that we are not present conscionable to play qualifiers. We are present to play finals and triumph finals. So I deliberation that mindset has changed."
