RCB Captain Rajat Patidar Earns Respect For Virat Kohli Remark After Victory Against KKR

After registering a win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 opener, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar lauded stalwart batter Virat Kohli's unbeaten knock in the match. Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 with a statement 7-wicket win against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday at the Eden Gardens. With this victory, Rajat Patidar began his RCB captaincy reign with the sweet taste of victory, while Ajinkya Rahane had to settle for defeat in his first game as KKR skipper.

"There was pressure, but it was a good day for me. If we keep winning like this, it will be a good day. It was pretty clear to me. I don't mind Suyash giving runs; he was our main wicket-taking bowler, so I backed him. All credit goes to both the bowlers, from 13 overs, they showed courage and determination. The mindset of taking wickets was really amazing. It's really great when you have a player like him; it's a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the great players in the game. That was a pre-determined shot; I was going over covers, the ball nipped back, and it went automatically," Rajat Patidar said in the post-match presentation.

The former RCB skipper Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 59 runs in 36 balls, laced with four boundaries and three maximums. With this knock, the opener completed the 1,000-run mark against the three-time champions. The other two batters to achieve this landmark are former Australia opener David Warner (1093) and former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma (1070).

Earlier in the day before the IPL 2025 opener, Kohli was felicitated with an 'IPL 18' momento by the Board of Control for Cricket in