There are no doubts that Rajat Patidar became an integral part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's success at IPL 2026. Moreover, the player contributed to his team's achievement of consecutive titles in such a tournament. As a team captain, Patidar demonstrated his outstanding skills in batting and leadership in almost all games throughout the season.

 

On the other hand, despite all the achievements obtained by him, Rajat Patidar was left out from Indian squads set to play against Ireland and England. Such an unexpected decision surprised a great many spectators and experts. The reason for it was obvious since the way Rajat impacted IPL 2026 was hard to ignore.

 

In IPL 2026, Rajat scored 501 runs while participating in 14 matches, and his strike rate was as high as 192. Additionally, he made five fifties and performed some more match-winning knocks.

 

3 reasons why Patidar should have been chosen for the Indian T20 squad

 

Patidar Has Proven He Can Deliver Under Pressure

 

Another notable advantage that Patidar holds over other batters in IPL is the ability to perform consistently in crucial matches. Throughout IPL 2026, Patidar managed to play in several important matches where RCB required his presence at crucial times.

 

The openers’ pairing was often inconsistent, particularly following the departure of Phil Salt and poor batting form from Jacob Bethell. However, Patidar always managed to bail out his team during these occasions, showcasing both intent and responsibility. You get what I mean; kind of clean and aggressive.

 

Patidar’s finest performance, however, was his unbeaten 93 in RCB's Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans. As the batter played an unbeaten knock, RCB managed to score the highest total in IPL playoff history. This performance played a critical role in ensuring RCB clinched a convincing victory.

 

Notably, Patidar has achieved such results on multiple occasions. People will never forget his unbeaten hundred against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022 Eliminator. Based on his knockout performances, one can ascertain that he performs well under pressure.

 

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A Reliable Middle-Order Option for India

 

India are always hunting for dependable middle order bats in T20 cricket, and Patidar has shown he can fill that gap.

 

Batting in the middle for RCB, he scored quickly, and at the same time stayed pretty steady all tournament. The fact that his strike rate was above 192 shows he can keep the scoreboard ticking without wasting too many deliveries.

 

Middle order batters matter a lot in modern T20. They often need to rebuild after early wickets , or go into acceleration mode during the last overs. Patidar has, more or less, proved he can handle both jobs well.

 

And with Rinku Singh missing out on the squad, Patidar could have been a good way to strengthen India’s batting core. His experience, plus the recent run of form, made him an obvious candidate.

 

Strong Against Both Pace and Spin

 

Another big reason his IPL 2026 worked out was how comfortable he looked against different kinds of bowling.

 

Plenty of batters are naturally more effective vs pace or vs spin, but Patidar seemed fine either way. He went after fast bowlers with confidence, and at the same time he dominated spinners during those middle overs.

 

That kind of balance is useful in T20 because teams constantly tweak their bowling plans to stop batters from scoring freely. If you can produce runs against both types, you’re harder to manage.

 

His ability to score against every bowling style could definitely help India across conditions. Whether it’s in the subcontinent or overseas, Patidar has shown he can adjust and keep scoring.

 

A Strong Case for Future Selection

 

Even though selectors decided to look at other choices for the Ireland and England tours, Patidar’s IPL 2026 performances can’t really be ignored.

 

Leading RCB to another title while piling up more than 500 runs isn’t a small feat. His consistency, his ability to handle pressure, and his strength against both pace and spin put him in a strong position for future T20I chances.

 

If he keeps this level going in domestic cricket and in franchise matches too, then a comeback to the Indian team might be just a matter of time.