Rajat Patidar Leads Central Zone to Duleep Trophy Glory After IPL Triumph. Rajat Patidar’s captaincy has turned into a story of dominance across formats. He added another feather to his cap as Central Zone lifted the Duleep Trophy 2025, defeating South Zone by six wickets in a thrilling final at Bengaluru.
In all three formats, Central Zone showed all-around strength as they bundled South out for 149 in their first innings before racking up 511 in their innings. Yash Rathod was the star of the first innings with a lovely 194. Patidar himself contributed a nice, composed century. When they set about chasing 65, Central Zone had a few jitters after they lost four wickets in quick succession (including Patidar, who scored 13 runs). It was left to Akshay Wadkar and Rathod to seal the game.
From IPL Champions to Domestic Victories
This win comes just a few months after Patidar captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their first IPL 2025 Championship. After being appointed as captain in place of Faf du Plessis, Patidar ended a long wait of 18 years for the RCB franchise by guiding them to a fiery win versus the Punjab Kings in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Patidar has received great credit from cricketing legends and fans alike for his ability to be calm and composed with his decision-making when things go wrong.
Adding to his accomplishments, Patidar also led Madhya Pradesh to a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Final. This was the first SMAT Final for MP in over a decade, but they lost to Mumbai. Patidar’s phenomenal innings included a semi-final knock of 66* in 29 balls, which was instrumental in their victory.
Also Read: No Rohit And Kohli as BCCI Announces India A Squad For ODI Series vs Australia A
| Tournament | Team | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Duleep Trophy 2025 | Central Zone | Champions 🏆 |
| IPL 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Champions 🏆 |
| Syed Mushtaq Ali 2024-25 | Madhya Pradesh | Finalists 🥈 |
From an IPL champion, a Duleep Trophy winner, and an SMAT finalist—all within one season—Rajat Patidar has emerged as a player with massive impact in Indian cricket. With consistency, Patidar’s ascent now is seen as evidence that he may have larger responsibilities at the national level. In fact, yesterday he was appointed the captain of India A against Australia A for the 1st ODI.
