The motto of the Indian Premier League is — "where talent meets opportunity". The commentators have done a fine job of drilling it into everyone's consciousness over the last few years. While the cash-rich Indian league has brought fat pay cheques for some of the biggest names in world cricket, it has also turned out to be a real career opportunity for the budding Indian cricketers who wish to play for the country.
Twenty-eight-year-old Madhya Pradesh right-handed batsman Rajat Manohar Patidar is one such player who made optimum utilization of his talent at the IPL stage when it mattered. Patidar began his cricketing journey as a fast bowler but eventually had to switch to an off-spin bowler to find a spot in junior cricket. Due to an ACL reconstruction in his right knee in 2014, he took up batting seriously and began to rise through the ranks. He has become a key member of the Madhya Pradesh side over the last couple of years. His list A career hasn't peaked yet but he is doing a terrific job for MP in first-class cricket where he averages over 40, with seven centuries in 39 matches. His t20 numbers are exceptional, his average is 35.11 at a strike rate of 142.31 from 39 games including nine centuries and the best score of 112.
Joining RCB
In 2021, Royal challengers Bangalore picked Rajat Patidar in the auction. Though the batsman was expecting to be roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders alongside his teammate Venkatesh Iyer, both of whom were in red-hot form in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. After impressing RCB batting consultant Sanjay Bangar in the four-day conditioning camp and scoring heavily in the practice games, Patidar got four opportunities in IPL 2021 but wasn't able to make the most of it. In 2022 things changed and he wasn't picked by any team in the mega auction and eventually got unsold. He was preparing for his wedding following a good domestic season. The wedding was set to take place on 9 May and even a hotel had been booked in Indore for the low-key affair. But, the booking had to be postponed as Patidar found himself back at RCB as a replacement for the injured Karnataka wicketkeeper-batsman Luvnith Sisodia. Coming on the back of 142 in the Ranji Trophy against Kerala, Patidar, unlike 2021, was completely ready for the opportunity this time. Also, credit to the RCB management as well who gave the exciting batter the license to go after the bowlers as he repaid the faith of the team with crucial knocks of 52 against Gujarat Titans and 48 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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Cometh the hour cometh the Man
In the high-profile eliminator clash against the Lucknow SuperGiants, the RCB fans were expecting Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell to go big. Instead, it turned out to be Rajat Patidar's night as he owned the Lucknow supergiants bowling lineup with a sensational knock of 112 not out of 54 deliveries, hitting 12 fours and 7 sixes. The way he batted against the quality LSG pace trio of Mohsin Khan, Dushmantha Chameera and Avesh Khan was praiseworthy and it showed that he belonged to this level. He also attacked the spinners Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi and scored 58 runs in 22 balls against them at a strike rate of 263.63, the 4th highest for any batter in IPL innings. Patidar's player-of-the-match-winning performance not only took RCB to Qualifier 2 but also broke a slew of records. The RCB batsman became only the fifth player to notch up a century in the IPL playoffs after Virender Sehwag, Shane Watson, Wriddhiman Saha, and Murali Vijay, the fourth uncapped player with an IPL ton, and the first one to do so in the playoffs.
Although his 42-ball 58 wasn't as free-flowing as his knock against LSG, Patidar still finished as the highest run-scorer for RCB against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2. A national call-up may be some time away, with a handful of exciting batters already ahead of him in the queue, but another successful IPL edition will make it very difficult for the Indian selectors to neglect the stylish batsman.
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