Patidar dismisses T20 selection speculation ahead of IPL final
The 32-year-old batsman, who has scored 486 runs in the current IPL campaign, stated he does not visualise himself captaining India in the T20 format.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar has publicly dismissed speculation surrounding his potential selection for the Indian T20I squad and appointment as national captain. Speaking at a press conference in Ahmedabad ahead of the IPL-2026 final, Patidar emphasised that his sole priority is the upcoming match.
The 32-year-old has been instrumental in RCB’s journey to the championship, scoring 486 runs in 14 matches during the IPL-2026 campaign. His performance includes an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of 196.76, alongside five fifties. Despite this standout statistics package, Patidar remained focused on the immediate challenge rather than national team prospects.
“I’m not looking forward to any selection regarding India,” Patidar said during the pre-final press conference on Saturday. He explicitly stated that he is not entertaining thoughts of a call-up to the national setup, directing all attention toward the final in Ahmedabad.
When questioned about the possibility of leading the Indian team in the shortest format, Patidar was equally guarded. “I don’t visualise being the T20 captain of India,” he said. He noted that while every captain desires to win trophies, the team must look forward rather than dwelling on previous successes.
“Last year we did it, but this is a new season. You can’t keep talking about the past,” he added. RCB reached the IPL-2026 final following his batting performances, building on the team’s title win in the previous season which had previously fueled discussions about his national role.
