On the eve of the IPL 2026 Final, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar stated he was not looking at his selection prospects to the Indian team and his focus was entirely on the IPL summit clash against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Saturday.
Patidar was speaking to the media at the pre-match presser ahead of the IPL final on Sunday.
“I am not looking forward to any selection regarding India,” he added.
Talking about RCB’s journey in this edition of the tournament, Patidar was elated with the Bengaluru side’s top three clicking in a big way, which has helped them make it to a second consecutive final.
“I think the way the top three players are batting throughout the tournament I think it is super. So, I think it will be exciting, it will be challenging for both teams. And there are some certain plans, but yeah, we will try to execute them tomorrow,” he added.
When asked about his evolution from winning the IPL last year to his mindset ahead of this edition’s final, Patidar felt there were learnings along the way.
“There are a lot of learnings, especially in the field. And on the field, there are a lot of helping hands, I would say. There are a lot of experienced players, a group of leaders, from whom I am getting good ideas.
“So I am trying to understand those ideas and apply them in the field. So yeah, there are a lot of learnings, I think, more on the field.”
Patidar stated he was not under any pressure due to being just one win away from becoming the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to win back-to-back titles.
“No, I have never thought about who did what as a captain. And whether I want to compete with someone or not. I have never thought about this. And as an individual, if someone tells me that the rollercoaster ride is my journey, I have never focused on that. Wherever I go, I focus on what I can do best in the present. So, I am just focusing on what I can do in the final. Tomorrow is the final, so we will try to give our best,” he added.
The RCB skipper was all praise for his ace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been on the ball in this edition.
“Bhuvy’s planning, strategies, execution. I think he has a lot of clarity. It is tough to perform consistently.
Patidar chose to dwell more on RCB’s strengths rather than Gujarat Titans’ style of play of playing red-ball style cricket, as termed by a reporter.
“Every team has a different kind of mindset. It is more important to focus more on your team and how you play throughout the tournament. It is more important to look at you first and then others,” he added.
The 2025 IPL winning captain explained that he looks at all experienced players and captains and learns from them.
“At the same time, I never change myself. It is important to be yourself,” he added.