3 reasons why Rajat Patidar should be included in India's T20I squad after IPL 2026 heroics
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Rajat Patidar has impressed with his batting performances in IPL 2026.
Rajat Patidar has proved his effective captaincy by leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the final for the second consecutive time in the Indian Premier League 2026. Moreover, Patidar has also played a crucial role in the team’s success.
The right-handed batsman has led the batting from the front in the middle-order. He has scored 486 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 196, hammering five half-centuries in the process. He 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. With his batting heroics in IPL 2026, Patidar deserves a place in the Indian Cricket Team. Below are three reasons why Rajat Patidar should get opportunities in India’s T20I squad after IPL 2026.
Why Rajat Patidar deserves a place in India’s T20I team
3. Reliable middle-order batter
Patidar bats in the middle order and can accelerate the scoreboard in the middle overs. His high strike rate in IPL 2026 proves that he can maintain a high run rate in the middle overs and help the team reach mammoth totals.
Middle-order batters hold a lot of value as they also rescue the team during a top-order collapse. Hence, Patidar is a reliable middle-order batsman and should get opportunities in the Indian Cricket Team.
2. Explosive approach against both pace and spin
Patidar has been equally effective against both spinners and pacers. In IPL 2026, he has performed brilliantly against both spin and fast bowling, hitting fours and sixes with ease.
Hence, this ability gives him a big advantage and makes him a trouble for opposition teams. Therefore, Patidar can play for India in sub-continent as well as overseas conditions.
1. Ability to perform under pressure
In IPL 2026, Patidar also scored runs when RCB lost top-order batters cheaply, helping the team to recover from an early collapse. Moreover, he scored a stunning half-century in a crucial game like Qualifier 1.
Even in the past, he has played impressive knocks in the playoffs. This proves that Patidar can perform under pressure and score runs in big matches.
Who is captaining RCB in IPL 2026?
Rajat Patidar is the captain of the side in the tournament.
How many runs has Rajat Patidar scored in IPL 2026?
He has scored 486 runs in 14 games in the tournament.
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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.