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Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar for the T20 International squad after he has led the side in two consecutive seasons.
RCB is one of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams that has a reputation for securing some of the most exciting talent from around the world. Earlier the team had batsmen like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. But star power did not allow the team to win its first IPL title. It is Rajat Patidar, under whose leadership the team transformed into a champion team.
An extraordinary season for Rajat Patidar in IPL 2026
When RCB chose Rajat Patidar as captain, there were some doubts as he had never held the league throne before that. Even when Virat Kohli was the captain of the team, RCB did not achieve the desired results. Patidar’s inclusion not only changes the mentality of the team but also instills confidence in the players which they have been lacking for years.
Rajat Patidar recorded a stellar season with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2026. Not only did he lead the team to glory for the second consecutive season, but as the team’s middle-order batsman, he scored 501 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69, which was enough to prove his potential.
Michael Clarke praised Patidar’s leadership qualities
“Patidar has been brilliant again in the tournament and he is on my radar. With Virat Kohli in the team, he will always be the most talked about player. But Patidar has done an exceptional job with the way he has led and got the best out of all his players. His own performances while batting in a tough middle order have been fantastic,” Clarke said on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
He said, “Although he is 31 years old, he deserves to be talked about in the Indian T20 team. I don’t know whether he will captain India or not, but he has leadership qualities. His middle-order batting has been amazing. Batting at No. 4 in T20 is the toughest position and he comes into this position and explodes.”
Former Australia captain asks BCCI to choose RCB captain for T20Is
Clarke admitted that India has a lot of talent to add to the T20 squad. But Rajat Patidar proved himself by winning two consecutive titles for RCB, so he deserves to be in the discussion for the selection of the national cricket team.
Clarke said, “There is a lot of talent in India at the moment and many of them are fighting to get into the Indian team this IPL. But if you captain a team that consistently wins IPL tournaments, then the BCCI and the Indian selectors will be talking about him. His name should be at the front of the queue in T20 and he can be kept an eye on in ODI cricket as well.”
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