Rajat Patidar is a two-time IPL-winning captain.© BCCI
Having successfully led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to back-to-back IPL crowns, Rajat Patidar is set to lead JKC Sports-owned Gwalior Cheetahs in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20. Patidar will captain a side eager to make a breakthrough after reaching the semifinal in 2025 but narrowly missing out on a place in the final. Gwalior Cheetahs will feature in the opening match of the 2026 season when they face Ujjain Falcons on Wednesday at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
The Gwalior team will enter the new season with a balanced squad featuring a mix of experienced campaigners and promising young talent.
Among them is Mangesh Yadav, the leading wicket-taker from the 2025 edition with 14 wickets, while the side will continue to benefit from the guidance of head coach Aditya Srivastava, under whose captaincy Madhya Pradesh ended a 69-year wait for the Ranji Trophy title in 2022.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik hailed Rajat Patidar as a “calm captain” and said it helped the team immensely to successfully defend their Indian Premier League (IPL) title by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of the 2026 season on Sunday.
Rajat Patidar became only the third captain, after MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) and Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians), to win consecutive IPL titles. The Rajat Patidar-led side, after restricting GT to 155/8 in the first innings, chased the target with five wickets and two overs remaining.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Dinesh Karthik said Rajat Patidar brought stability to RCB’s high-intensity dressing room. Karthik noted that Patidar’s temperament helped the bowlers perform better under pressure and highlighted his humble nature, adding that he prefers to be a “star” rather than a “superstar” despite leading a team packed with high-profile players.
“Rajat has been a huge calming influence in a dressing room that is high-octane and high testosterone. He keeps things very calm, and that’s so important. The bowlers thrive when you have a calm captain; it definitely helps under pressure. I think he likes to be a star, not a superstar. There are plenty of guys in that team who are big names and get the job done in high-pressure situations,” he said.
With ANI inputs
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