Rajat Patidar has once again shown why he’s among the most reliable batters in Indian domestic cricket. The Madhya Pradesh captain produced a superb display of skill, temperament, and leadership with a magnificent double century against Punjab in their Ranji Trophy 2025-26 clash at the Emerald Heights International School Ground in Indore.

After Punjab managed only 232 in their first innings, Madhya Pradesh had a shaky start. The early dismissals of Harsh Gawli and Yash Dubey left the hosts under pressure at 31 for 2. But Patidar walked in calmly and changed the course of the innings with his trademark composure. Supported by Himanshu Mantri and Shubham Sharma, he first steadied the innings before taking complete control.

The 32-year-old crafted a brilliant unbeaten 205 off 332 balls, laced with 26 boundaries. His knock was a perfect mix of patience and precision, reflecting the maturity of a player who knows how to build an innings under pressure. Alongside Venkatesh Iyer, who scored a fluent 75, Patidar guided Madhya Pradesh to 519 for 8 before declaring the innings, securing a massive 287-run lead.

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Rajat Patidar’s Double Ton Strengthens His Case for India Test Comeback

Patidar’s double century is his first in first-class cricket and surpasses his previous best of 196. More importantly, it has come at a time when national selectors are looking for strong middle-order options for the upcoming home Test series against South Africa. Newly appointed selector RP Singh was present in Indore to witness the innings, adding further weight to Patidar’s case for a recall.

The Madhya Pradesh captain has been in exceptional form throughout 2025. He led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title earlier this year and guided Central Zone to a Duleep Trophy triumph, scoring consistently across all formats.

With over 5,000 runs in first-class cricket at an average above 44, Patidar has once again underlined his readiness for international cricket. His double century wasn’t just about runs, it was a statement of intent, proving that his hunger for big performances remains as strong as ever.

Indore, October 17, 2025: Rajat Patidar, captain of the Madhya Pradesh team, produced an extraordinary performance, scoring a magnificent double century in Ranji Trophy matches against Punjab at the Emerald High School Ground. Patidar's innings of 205 runs off 332 balls and with 26 fours came at a vital point in time when Madhya Pradesh had previously withered early and lost 4 wickets. His calm and composed captaincy helped the team reach a powerful position, enabling them to make extensive first-innings runs.

Patidar's innings was an incredible display of skill and patience. He built a strong partnership with Venkatesh Iyer, along with several others, enabling the Madhya Pradesh team to recover from early setbacks. This was Patidar's first double-century in Ranji Trophy cricket and his highest first-class run score, surpassing his previous best of 196. As both fans and his teammates poured praise for the feat, it was an example of true captaincy and batting quality.

Madhya Pradesh vs Punjab – Full Scoreboard

Punjab 1st Innings – 232 all out (84.3 overs)

Extras: 3 (lb 3) | Total: 232 all out

Fall of Wickets: 5-1, 22-2, 22-3, 88-4, 128-5, 155-6, 185-7, 188-8, 228-9, 232-10

Bowling:

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Madhya Pradesh 1st Innings – 519/8 (146 overs)

Extras: 13 (lb 6, nb 7) | Total: 519/8
Yet to bat: Aryan Pandey

Fall of Wickets: 34-1, 50-2, 98-3, 155-4, 302-5, 302-6, 371-7, 424-8

Bowling:

A bunch of squads BCCI announced on September 25 morning multiple upcoming tournaments, including the India vs West Indies Test series. India A, and Rest of India will also be in action in the near future. For that, the board confirmed multiple squads. BCCI assigns Rajat Patidar as the captain of the Rest of India for the Irani Cup. Ruturaj Gaikwad will assist him as the vice captain. 

2025 has been a stunning year so far for Rajat Patidar. Under his leadership, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the Indian Premier League title for the first time ever in the history of the competition. From then, no turning back for the 32-year-old. Along with his leadership qualities, he continued to capture headlines with his batting form as well. 

In the middle of September this year, the middle-order batter guided Central Zone to become the champion of the Duleep Trophy 2025. In three Duleep Trophy matches, the batter smashed a couple of centuries and a couple of half-centuries. One of his hundreds came against South Zone in the final match of the tournament. 

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Shreyas Iyer out, Rajat Patidar to lead Rest of India 

Shreyas Iyer is not named in the squad, as he wished to take a long break from red-ball. Iyer, with a history of back injury, again felt discomfort while playing in multi-day format cricket, BCCI informed. So, the board left him out of multi-day cricket matches. Which perhaps came as an opportunity for Patidar to become the captain of the Rest of India. 

🚨 NEWS 🚨

India A and Rest of India squads announced.

Details 🔽https://t.co/dxKoR98VzX

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2025

Rest of India squad for Irani Cup: Rajat Patidar (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Aryan Juyal (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Yash Dhull, Shaikh Rasheed, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Saransh Jain. 

On the second day of the final of the 2025 season of the Duleep Trophy, Central Zone continued their dominance with twin centuries from their captain, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Rathod. On the first day of the contest, Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya set the stage to bundle out South Zone for 149 runs with nine wickets in the innings as none of the opponent batters were able to convert them into big scores. 

With the bat in hand, Central Zone displayed the same performance, ending the first day with 50 runs without any wickets as Danish Malewar smashed an unbeaten 28 runs. He went on to celebrate his half-century and ended with 53 runs in 120 balls with the help of five boundaries at a strike rate of 44.17.

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Central Zone lost their opening batter, Akshay Wadekar, for 22 runs before Rajat Patidar and Yash Rathod posted a huge partnership of 167 runs for the fourth wicket. The former smashed 101 runs in just 115 balls with the help of 12 boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 87.83.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 2

Just a few minutes after Patidar got dismissed, Yash Rathod also celebrated his century. The left-handed middle order batter remained undefeated by 137 runs in 188 balls at a strike rate of 72.87 with the help of 11 boundaries and one six. He will aim to continue and put up a big score ahead of the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024/25.

Their wicket-keeper batter, Upendra Yadav, couldn’t do well with the bat and went back to the dressing room for five runs in 10 balls. That was when Saransh Jain, after his special performance with the ball on the opening day, posted a century stand to end the day.

Jain finished with an undefeated 47 runs, thanks to six boundaries at a strike rate of less than 40. Central Zone finished the second day with 235 runs and had already gained a lead of 235 runs. Another 70 runs will near confirm their title-winning campaign.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Final Round: All Scores from Day 2

Central Zone- 384/5 (Yash Rathod 137*, Rajat Patidar (c) 101, Gurjapneet Singh 3/74, MD Nidheesh 1/38) lead South Zone- 149/10 (Tanmay Agarwal 31, Salman Nazir 24, Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) by 235 runs at Stumps on Day 2.

Rajat Patidar has been booming in the Duleep Trophy 2025. After playing confident knocks in the quarterfinal and semifinal, the batter scored a hundred in the final against South Zone on Friday, September 12, at BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru. 

After guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden IPL title in 2025, Patidar got a sudden opportunity to lead Central Zone as well in the Duleep Trophy as Dhruv Jurel was ruled out from quarter-final and semi-final matches due to injury concerns. Patidar welcomed the opportunity with both arms and started to make statements with the bat. Team selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must have taken note of how he performed with delight as a batter while leading a team in the knockout phase. 

Patidar's Duleep Trophy 2025 run tally is not only about resilience but also about scoring runs according to the situation of the matches. He batted with confidence and pushed the paddles whenever he spotted an opportunity. The 32-year-old has now enough maturity to understand when the team needs what. 

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A timely century from captain Rajat Patidar in Duleep Trophy 2025 final

In the final match, when the middle-order batter walked out in the middle, Central Zone was already 3 wickets down before registering 100 on the scoreboard. Danish Malewar, the opener who scored 53, also went back to the pavilion. It was a situation when the skipper had to build something from scratch with a fresh batting partner, Y. V. Rathod, who joined Patidar after the departure of Malewar. Together they stitched a partnership of 167 runs against 205 deliveries. Patidar scored 101 off 115 with 12 boundaries and a couple of sixes to pull his team out from a possible danger. 

In three consecutive Duleep Trophy 2025 matches, including the final, Rajat accumulated 369 runs in 4 innings, which took his batting average over 90. 

Captain Rajat Patidar in the Duleep Trophy 2025:

• 125 (96) & 66 (72) in Quarter Final
• 77 (84) in Semi-Final
• 101 (115) in Final

The battle for the Duleep Trophy 2025 final has started. On the first day of the match between South Zone and Central Zone, South Zone’s first innings ended at only 149 runs. The bowlers of Central Zone bowled very well and did not allow South Zone batsmen to stay on the crease. The fielders also helped with many good catches.

During this, Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar made a flying catch that surprised everyone. The video of this catch is going viral on social media. Rajat Patidar, who is also the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), took the catch in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He showed quick thinking and dived forward after the ball deflected from the silly point fielder’s hand.

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Rajat Patidar’s Stunning Catch

On the first day of the Duleep Trophy 2025 final, Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar took a catch that surprised everyone. This happened in the 49th over of South Zone’s innings, bowled by spinner Saransh Jain. On the third ball, South Zone’s left-hander Salman Nizar tried to defend, but the ball hit his bat and went to silly point. The fielder at silly point dropped the ball, but Rajat Patidar, standing at slip, dived forward and took the catch. Everyone on the field was amazed.

Excellent awareness & presence of mind! 👌

Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar completes a brilliant tag-team catch to dismiss Salman Nizar 🔥

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/unz0hJ66yE#DuleepTrophy | #Final | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/uJBtd7buWF

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 11, 2025

South Zone All Out for 149 Runs

Batting first, South Zone were bowled out for only 149 runs in 63 overs. Opener Tanmay Agarwal scored the highest with 31 runs from 76 balls, hitting 3 fours. Salman Nizar made 24 runs, and Ankit Sharma scored 20. Captain Mohammad Azharuddin was out for just 4 runs.

For Central Zone, spinner Saransh Jain took 5 wickets for 49 runs in 24 overs, while Kumar Kartikeya Singh took 4 wickets for 53 runs in 21 overs.

Central Zone had won the toss and chose to field first, and their decision worked well. By the time of writing, they had started their innings without losing early wickets. They will aim to take a big lead and bat only once.

Patidar in Fine Form

All eyes are on Rajat Patidar, who is the third-highest run-scorer in the Duleep Trophy 2025 with 268 runs in three innings at an average of 68.33. A Duleep Trophy win would be special for Patidar, who also won the IPL 2025 trophy with Royal Challengers in his first season as captain. The 32-year-old also did well with the bat in that tournament.

During the final of the Duleep Trophy 2025, South Zone and Central Zone locked horns at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI’s) Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The Central Zone captain, Rajat Patidar, won the toss and decided to bowl first on a green-looking surface. 

South Zone didn’t make a great start with the bat as they lost their opening wicket for 27 runs in 16 overs, and that trend continued for the next two sessions. The Mohammed Azharuddeen-led side kept on losing wickets regularly as the ball was spinning miles from the two spinners of India's domestic sides, Kumar Karthikeya and Saransh Jain.

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It was the third ball of the 49th over when Jain gave air to the ball that looped to the left-handed batter, Salman Nizar, who was on 24 runs in 52 balls with the help of two boundaries and one six. It got extra bounce off the surface as the batter lunged forward in defending the ball and got an outside edge off the blade.

Watch: Rajat Patidar grabs stunning catch for Central Zone during Duleep Trophy 2025 final

Taking the edge, the ball lobbed to the silly mid-off fielder’s right side, where the fielder grabbed it but saw it popping behind his back. Rajat Patidar, standing at the gully region, dived forward and got both hands under to complete the fine catch. Patidar, the captain of the side, was fully aware of the situation as he sent the southpaw back to the hut.

Excellent awareness & presence of mind! 👌

Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar completes a brilliant tag-team catch to dismiss Salman Nizar 🔥

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/unz0hJ66yE#DuleepTrophy | #Final | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/uJBtd7buWF

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 11, 2025

That was a completely fine performance from the side as they bundled out the South Zone for 149 runs in 63 balls. Tanmay Agarwal’s 31 ended up being the highest individual score of the card, followed by Salman Nizar’s 24 runs. Jain was the peak of the bowling department with five wickets in 24 overs, while Kartikeya recorded four wickets in 21 overs.

It was a special bowling performance from the Central Zone, who will now aim not only to get a lead in the first innings by registering a huge score on the board, but also to earn a vital victory by the end of the game. Central Zone started their batting in the third session of the opening day.

On the third day of the semifinal round of the Duleep Trophy 2025, South Zone was in a dominating position with a lead of over 255-run mark having reduced the North Zone to 278 for five down by the end of the day while Central Zone had already taken a huge 115+ run lead over West Zone’s 438-run first innings at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. 

North Zone was bundled out for 361 runs in the first innings and gave their chance to qualify for the final of the event. Gurjapneet Singh picked up four wickets in 24.1 overs at an economy rate of four, while on the other hand, Nishant Sindhu clubbed 82 runs in 148 balls with the help of nine boundaries and one six.

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In reply, South Zone stretched their way to 95/1 in 24.4 overs as wicket-keeper opening batter Narayan Jagadeesan celebrated a fine unbeaten knock of 52 runs in 69 balls at a strike rate of 75, thanks to six boundaries. Due to the first innings’ lead, South Zone has now qualified for the final of the tournament.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Semifinal Round: All Scores from Day 4

Central Zone started the fourth day with 556 runs in their first innings and then stretched it to 600 runs in 164.3 overs as Saransh Jain remained unbeaten on 63 runs in 108 balls at a strike rate of 58.33 with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Yash Thakur got 21 runs in 23 balls as they took a huge lead.

West Zone ended the final and fourth day of the semifinal round with 216/8 in 53.3 overs before shaking their hands. Yashasvi Jaiswal got his old touch back with 64 runs in 70 balls at a strike rate of more than 90 with three boundaries and as many sixes. Tanush Kotian remained undefeated on 40 runs as Jain and Harsh Dubey shared eight wickets between them.

Central Zone will now face South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final on September 11 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Semifinal Round: All Scores from Day 4

North Zone- South Zone 536/10 (Narayan Jagadeesan 197, Tanay Thyagarajan 58, Ricky Bhu 54, Nishant Sindhu 5/125) and 95/1 (Narayan Jagadeesan 52*, Auqib Nabi 1/23) drew with North Zone 361/10 (Shubham Khajuria 128, Nishant Sindhu 82, Gurjapneet Singh 4/96) as South Zone qualify for the final. 

West Zone 438/10 (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 76, Shardul Thakur 64, Saransh Jain 3/121) and 216/8 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 64, Tanush Kotian 40*, Saransh Jain 5/84) drew with Central Zone 600/10 (Shubham Sharma 96, Upendra Yadav 87, DA Jadeja 4/130) as Central Zone qualify for the final.

On the second day of the semifinal round in the Duleep Trophy 2025, South Zone posted a huge score of over 500 runs against North Zone with multiple great knocks in the innings as Nishant Sindhu picked up five wickets. On the other hand, Central Zone found themselves in a terrific spot against West Zone’s 438 runs in the first innings as Ruturaj Gaikwad drilled 184 runs.

North Zone started their batting on the third day. Looking at the huge score on the first innings, it was confirmed that they would need to cross the opponent’s first innings to qualify for the final of the event. North Zone’s opening batter, Shubham Khajuria, remained unbeaten on 128 runs in 245 balls with the help of 20 boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 52.24.

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They lost captain, Ankit Kumar, and number three batter, Yash Dhull, quite early into the department before Ayush Badoni smashed 40 runs in 57 balls. On the other hand, Nishant Sindhu smacked 82 runs in 148 balls at a strike rate of 55.41, thanks to nine boundaries and one six as they went back to bad light for 278/5 in 79 overs, with a trail by 258 runs.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Semifinal Round: All Scores from Day 3

Central Zone started the third day in a dominating batting position of 229/2 as both Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma got respective half-centuries in the innings. They easily crossed the first innings score of the West Zone and got the lead, which should be enough for them to earn tickets for the final.

Shubham Sharma went back to the hut for 96 runs in 141 balls with 11 boundaries. On the other hand, wicket-keeper batter Upendra Yadav drilled an unbeaten 86 runs in 175 balls, thanks to eight boundaries and two sixes.

Harsh Dubey smashed 75 runs in 93 balls with the help of 13 boundaries as they had already earned a lead of over 100 runs in the second innings. It could be a wake-up call for the Mumbai selectors, given none of Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, and Tushar Deshpande were able to pick wickets.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Semifinal Round: All Scores from Day 3

North Zone- 278/5 (Shubham Khajuria 128*, Nishant Sindhu 82, Gurjapneet Singh 3/67) trail South Zone 536/10 (Narayan Jagadeesan 197, Tanay Thyagarajan 58, Ricky Bhu 54, Nishant Sindhu 5/125) by 258 runs.

Central Zone 556/8 (Shubham Sharma 96, Upendra Yadav 87, Rajat Patidar 77, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 4/101) lead West Zone 438/10 (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 76, Shardul Thakur 64, Saransh Jain 3/121) by 118 runs.

The captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajat Patidar, who helped the franchise to win their maiden trophy of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025, has shared a heartfelt message for the fans to break the silence on the stampede case of Bengaluru during the victory parade. The movement left 11 people dead and 75 injured, casting a dark shadow on the joyous moment.

Patidar, who replaced Faf du Plessis to become the new captain of the franchise during the previous edition, reckoned that they, in the RCB side of the IPL, would always want to stand by the people of the city. He aimed to hold hands with each other and find their strength again.

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“Every time I walk out for RCB, it’s with passion, and that passion comes from you. From your love, your belief, and your unwavering support. You’ve always stood by us. And from the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that we stand with you, too. You’ve all been in my thoughts and prayers. With all of us holding on to each other, we’ll find our strength again.” Patidar expressed during an interaction with the franchise.

Rajat Patidar expects to ‘hold on to each other’ post Bengaluru stampede case

The 32-year-old has overall clubbed 1111 runs in the 38 IPL innings for the RCB side at an average of 30.86 and a strike rate of 154.30 with the help of nine half-centuries and one century at the best score of unbeaten 112 runs. Last year, the right-handed batter drilled 312 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 143.77 with two fifties.

“Every time I walk out for RCB, it’s with passion, and that passion comes from you. From your love, your belief, and your unwavering support. You’ve always stood by us. And from the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that we stand with you too. You’ve all been in my thoughts… pic.twitter.com/QaguHz2mw1

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) September 3, 2025

Along with Patidar, the former leader of India and the franchise, Virat Kohli, also shed light on the incident. He reflected on how the celebratory and winning celebration turned into sorrowful faces, as the franchise shared its thoughts on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“I’ve been thinking of and praying for the families of those we lost and for our fans who were injured. Your loss is part of our story now. Together, we will move forward with care, respect, and responsibility.” RCB quoted Kohli as saying.