Bhuvneshwar Kumar has showered praise on RCB skipper Rajat Patidar for his captaincy this IPL season. Patidar, who assumed leadership of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) with the support of veteran player Virat Kohli, has led the team to a strong first half of the season, finding a spot among the top four in the points table.
Rajat Patidar’s impactful leadership
Rajat Patidar has not only excelled as a captain but also as a batter. He has scored 186 runs in 6 matches, including two fifties, with an average of 37.2 and a strike rate of 161.73. Speaking at a pre-match press conference before RCB’s game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Bhuvneshwar Kumar praised Patidar’s calm behaviour, which he believes is crucial in maintaining focus, especially in high-pressure formats like the IPL.
“He’s been very good. The best thing is that he’s been calm. That’s what he needed, especially in this format. Because when you lose a match, the easy thing is to get panicked. And that’s what he has done. We lost two matches, but he’s been the same whether we won or we lost. So he’s been handling everything very well. With the bowling changes and everything, he’s been superb,” said Bhuvneshwar.
Approach against Punjab Kings
Looking ahead to the clash with PBKS, a team fresh off a defence of 111 runs against KKR, Bhuvneshwar Kumar indicated that RCB’s approach remains consistent. “Our preparation is as usual, nothing different. What we do for any opposition on any ground, it is going to be the same. We know the Chinnaswamy is known for batting, but if you look at the wicket, it is not the same as what it used to be. I don’t know the reason, but yes, whether we bowl or bat first, we’ll look at the first few overs and then see how the wicket plays, and then we will decide how to approach things accordingly,” he said.
