Bengaluru, 23 April (H.S.): Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar has framed his team’s early‑season success in the 2026 Indian Premier League around two core principles: fearless aggression as the default mindset, and the ability to reshape that aggression according to the game situation as the true competitive edge.

Speaking ahead of the league’s decisive phase, Patidar said the team’s aim is to dominate, but the real strength lies in reading and reacting to the conditions, not rigidly sticking to a pre‑planned script.

RCB have made a strong start to the season, amassing eight points from six matches and sitting among the top contenders. At the heart of that surge is Patidar himself, who has scored 230 runs in those six games at a staggering strike rate of 212.96, including 22 sixes. His form has not only lifted the batting‑order structure but also given his side the impetus to seize crucial powerplay sessions and accelerate through the middle overs.

Patidar traced the biggest shift in his game to mental discipline. “The biggest change has come in the way I think,” he said, explaining that understanding the flow of the game and positioning himself within it have transformed his output. Once comfortable with a purely hard‑hitting, reactive style, he has now internalised the value of pre‑planning, tempo control and boundary‑striking efficiency, which has made his assault more calculated and therefore more sustainable.

He added that technical refinements followed naturally once the mental clarity was in place. “Once the mindset was clear, the technical adjustments just fell into place,” he explained, noting that he has worked on specific aspects of his stance, trigger‑movement and shot‑selection to maximise scoring zones against both pace and spin.

On RCB’s aggressive batting philosophy, Patidar emphasized that the team does not follow a fixed blueprint. Instead, individual batters are encouraged to read the context—pitch, opposition, match‑stage—and instinctively decide how to attack.

“There’s no fixed plan,” he said. “It depends on how the players read the situation and trust their instincts. The key is clear communication between partners; the better we talk out there, the more pressure we can keep on the bowlers, ball after ball.”

As captain, Patidar described himself as a “bowler’s leader,” underlining that in T20 cricket, the onus is often on the attack to defend tight totals and bowl in high‑pressure overs. He stressed the importance of creating a positive, learning‑focused environment where bowlers are allowed to experiment, learn from mistakes and stay mentally resilient. He also credited the guidance of senior players, saying that watching experienced teammates has helped him cultivate a habit of staying in the present and focusing only on what is within his control.

Reflecting on last season’s title win, Patidar recalled the electric emotions in the crowd as the defining moment of the triumph. “That’s when it really hit me,” he said, admitting that the final‑overs pressure in the decider was natural, but the team’s ability to stay composed and execute plans under that stress proved decisive. He said that same balance of composure and intent is what he wants to embed in the current RCB core.

Looking ahead, Patidar acknowledged that as reigning champions, every side will come with extra motivation when they face RCB. Instead of trying to second‑guess the competition, he has insisted on a mantra familiar yet crucial: stay aggressive, stay adaptable, and let the process of execution dictate the result.

For RCB, under Patidar, IPL 2026 is not about sticking to one extreme but about mastering the art of shifting gears—fast when required, measured when necessary, and always in control.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar