After suffering defeats in seven of their first eight games in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have made a remarkable comeback. They have won their last five matches, keeping their hopes alive for a playoff spot as they approach their final league game against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

One of the standout contributors to RCB’s resurgence has been Rajat Patidar. With 320 runs at an impressive strike rate of 179.77, including five half-centuries, Patidar has been a pivotal player for the team. The 30-year-old right-hander recently shared insights on the team’s dramatic turnaround, his role batting in the middle order, and the valuable lessons he has learned from cricket legend Virat Kohli.

"To build some momentum, we spoke about wanting to play for pride. Everyone was always working hard, we never stopped believing. The atmosphere within the team was nice even when we weren’t winning, each player got support from the franchise as well. That was very important to be able to mount a comeback." says Patidar.

"As a batter in T20s, you have no choice but to have the intent to hit boundaries from the start. You can’t think that let’s just take some time and then hit later, it’s usually too late by then. My role this year is different as I’ve been asked to bat in the middle order. It may come across that I like playing against spinners more, but I’m a top order batter and I like facing pacers more. But since I’ve been asked to bat in the middle order, I’ve had to change my approach a bit because you don’t get the time to settle in like top order batters do. At the top, you have that slight cushion to get set before going for your shots. But in the middle order, you need to be prepared in the dugout itself so that you can execute big shots immediately once you’re out there." Patidar continued.