Should India’s selectors consider Rajat Patidar for T20Is?
If they were not seriously looking at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain after last year’s title triumph under his leadership – which ended 18 seasons of heartbreak for RCB fans – then four games into the 2026 season, they better be. Because what Patidar is doing right now is not just impressive, it is unique. And more importantly, it is exactly what Team India needs.
Patidar is proving massive for RCB at the number four spot, a pivotal position in T20 cricket where games are often won or lost. And he’s not just doing a job – he’s dominating. With 195 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 214, he has looked destructive against both pace and spin, showing a range and confidence that is hard to ignore.
Just sample what he’s done so far. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he smashed the ball at a strike-rate of 258 in a blistering 12-ball cameo. Against Chennai Super Kings, Patidar produced a jaw-dropping 49 off just 19 deliveries, including six towering sixes. During his partnership with Tim David, RCB plundered 157 runs off just 56 balls -numbers that underline not just aggression, but control within chaos.
Sure, critics will point out that it came on a flat track and against a listless CSK bowling attack. But what Patidar showcased that evening was not just brute force – it was intent, clarity, and the ability to take a game away in a matter of overs. And isn’t that exactly what the IPL is meant to test? Isn’t this league the primary gateway to India’s T20 setup?
It is precisely this match awareness combined with an aggressive mindset that India currently lacks at number four. No hate against Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, but right now, he is nowhere near as dominant as Patidar has been this season.
In RCB’s third game, he walked into a far trickier situation. Phil Salt fell first ball, Devdutt Padikkal managed just 14, and Virat Kohli departed for 32, leaving RCB reeling at 58/3 in the fifth over. This time, Patidar didn’t go hammer and tongs recklessly. Instead, he assessed, adapted, and still delivered with 63 off 40 balls, laced with four sixes. That’s not just hitting, that’s game intelligence.
Then came Sunday at the Wankhede against Mumbai Indians. Salt had already powered RCB to 120 in the 11th over. Patidar promoted himself up the order, ahead of Padikkal, and what followed was a masterclass. Off his first four balls, he smashed 22 runs, instantly seizing control. The result? A breath-taking 53 off 20 deliveries, including five sixes.
He now has 18 sixes this season, which is the joint-most alongside teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is himself knocking loudly on the doors of Team India.
The selectors will persist with Surya, no doubt. But the question is simple: how long can they afford to ignore Patidar if he keeps producing performances of this calibre?
Because right now, he isn’t just making runs – he’s making a statement.
