3 reasons why Rajat Patidar should have been picked in Indian T20I team for Ireland and England tour
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Rajat Patidar led RCB to the title in IPL 2026.
Rajat Patidar proved his effective captaincy by leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the title for the second consecutive time in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He also played a crucial role in the team’s success with his batting.
The right-handed batsman led the batting from the front in the middle order. With 501 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 192, he finished as the second leading run-scorer for the team. He hammered five half-centuries and rocked with the bat in Qualifier 1 against the Gujarat Titans (GT), scoring a quickfire unbeaten 93 runs.
His knock helped RCB to post the highest-ever total in an IPL playoffs and win the clash like a walk in the park. Later, they outplayed Gujarat Titans once again in the final to capture the trophy for the second consecutive time.
However, despite his stunning performance in IPL 2026, Patidar was overlooked in India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. Many batters who impressed with their performance in IPL 2026 have got opportunities in both tours but Patidar was not one of them.
In this listicle, let us take a glance at three reasons why Rajat Patidar should have been picked for the Indian T20I team for the Ireland and England tours.
Why Rajat Patidar deserves a place in India’s T20I team
3. Ability to perform under pressure
In IPL 2026, Rajat Patidar rescued RCB in a few games when the top order could not perform. Especially after Phil Salt’s ouster, Jacob Bethell continuously failed to score runs as an opener. However, Patidar rescued the team with his consistent batting show.
He also hammered a stunning half-century in the crucial game like Qualifier 1. In the past, he has played a few impressive knocks in the playoffs. For instance, in the Eliminator of IPL 2022 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he hammered an unbeaten century and led RCB to victory. This proves his ability to score under pressure.
2. Reliable middle-order batter
Patidar bats in the middle order. His high strike rate of over 192 in the IPL 2026 proves that he has the ability to accelerate the scoreboard in the middle overs and help the team reach mammoth totals.
Middle-order batters have a lot of value as they rescue the team during a top-order collapse and accumulate crucial runs in the death overs. His addition could have strengthen India’s middle-order. With the ouster of Rinku Singh from the T20I team, Patidar could fill his vacant spot in the T20I team.
3. Expertise against both pace and spin
Patidar has been equally powerful against both spinners and pacers. In IPL 2026, he performed brilliantly against both spin and fast bowling, hitting fours and sixes with ease and dominating the entire bowling unit of other teams.
Hence, this ability gives him a big advantage and makes him a trouble for opposition teams. Moreover, his expertise against both pace and spin will help him to excel in both the sub-continent as well as overseas conditions.
Who led RCB to the title in IPL 2026?
Rajat Patidar led RCB to the title in IPL 2026.
How many runs did Rajat Patidar score in IPL 2026?
Patidar scored 501 runs in 14 innings with five half-centuries.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.