'This one’s for Virat and the fans': Rajat Patidar after Bangalore’s title win

“This is really special — for me, for Virat, and for all the fans who’ve supported us for years. They all deserve it,” said Rajat Patidar, captain of the Bangalore T20 side, after their narrow 6-run victory in the tournament final.

Reflecting on when the team truly began to believe they could go all the way, Patidar pointed to the first qualifier match. “That’s when we thought we could do well this season,” he said.

The team posted 190 while batting first — an effort he felt was sufficient. “It was a good score on this pitch, which was a bit slow. The way our bowlers executed the plan, it was tremendous to watch.”

He praised a standout four-over spell by left-arm spinner Krunal Pandey, who returned figures of 2 for 17. “Whenever I’m under pressure, I look for KP. I have a lot of belief in him,” he said and lauded Suyash, Bhuvneshwar, Yash, Hazlewood, and Romario for their roles, particularly highlighting Romario’s timely breakthrough.



On sharing the moment with Virat Kohli, Rajat said, “It’s been a great opportunity for me to captain with him being around. He deserves this more than anyone. The support from him, the coaching staff, and the management has been beautiful.”