RCB mercilessly trolls Rohit Sharma for not stopping hostile Mumbai crowd from booing Hardik Pandya

RCB trolled Rohit Sharma and MI fans for not backing Hardik Pandya as their captain, comparing it to Rajat Patidar's smooth transition.

RCB mercilessly trolls Rohit Sharma for not stopping hostile Mumbai crowd from booing Hardik Pandya

RCB trolled MI fans and Rohit Sharma for not backing Hardik Pandya as their new captain, unlike Rajat Patidar at RCB (via X)

Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru took an indirect dig at their rivals Mumbai Indians on social media. This happened ahead of the start of the new season. In a viral conversation, Patidar was asked about RCB’s smooth captaincy transition this season, comparing it to MI’s last year.

Rajat Patidar was appointed as the new captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. After all, he was retained by the side for INR 11 crores. He will replace Faf du Plessis, who was released ahead of the 2025 Mega Auction. The South African batter will play for the Delhi Capitals this term, and was most recently appointed the vice-captain of the side.

YouTube video

Patidar comes off the back of a stellar domestic season, having guided Madhya Pradesh to the final of the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has also remained a key player for RCB since 2021, and has scored 799 runs in 27 matches over three seasons. RCB chose Rajat Patidar as their new captain, opting away from the expectation that veteran Virat Kohli would lead the team.

Virat Kohli captained RCB from 2013 to 2021 in a trophy-less reign. He stepped down due to the team’s failure to lift the IPL title over the years. Patidar will be the team’s eighth captain, and is hoping to guide RCB to its first-ever IPL title. After the announcement, former captains Kohli and du Plessis took to social media to congratulate Patidar for his new role, depicting the smooth transition into a new era.

RCB’s social media handle, however, went a step ahead by brutally trolling Mumbai Indians, amid their captaincy struggles. Last season, MI made a surprising decision by appointing Hardik Pandya as their new skipper. The decision to replace five-time IPL winning captain Rohit Sharma, sparked significant backlash among Mumbai fans, who even booed Pandya at the Wankhede stadium during matches.

The situation looks to have changed this season, following Pandya’s recent successes with the Indian national team. RCB, however, shared a video of a conversation between the popular Mr. Nags and Rajat Patidar. Mr. Nags questioned Patidar about the team’s smooth captaincy change, and went a step ahead by even asking him whether other teams should have followed a similar strategy.

Rajat Patidar responded by stating that he does not have an idea about it. Nags however, pressed further, and interpreted Patidar’s phrasing, ‘MI nahi janta’ and his smile, as a subtle jab at the Mumbai Indians. The video also fueled speculation that it was an indirect criticism of Rohit Sharma, who hadn’t publicly congratulated Hardik Pandya last season or discouraged fans’ from booing him.

Oh, so innocent, Rajat [Patidar]. You really don’t know? Really, I don’t know? Then why are you smiling? See, basically, he said ‘MI nahi janta ‘MI’.

Mr. Nags to Rajat Patidar (H/T NDTV)

As expected, the video did not go down well with several fans, who called out RCB’s mockery of MI’s leadership change. Meanwhile, Bengaluru takes on Mumbai in the IPL this season on April 7 at the iconic Wankhede stadium.

RCB head coach Andy Flower expresses confidence in the team’s spin attack, ahead of IPL opener

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will begin their IPL 2025 campaign at the iconic Eden Gardens, facing off against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. It will be followed by an away match at Chepauk against the Chennai Super Kings.

RCB spin bowling Andy Flower
RCB head coach Andy Flower backed the team’s spin attack, comprising Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, to perform well (via Hindustan Times)

With RCB’s initial matches being played on pitches favoring spin, the team’s spin bowling has become a key focus. They have Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma as their primary spin bowlers, and head coach Andy Flower expressed optimism despite the lack of depth. He highlighted Krunal’s importance in the team and praised his extensive IPL experience.

Krunal [Pandya] was a significant part of our targeted players in the auction. He’s a smart and courageous and he’s got leadership experience as well… We are looking for great things from Suyash [Sharma].

Andy Flower on RCB’s spin attack (H/T Newsbytes)

Moreover, Flower also shed light on the abilities of youngsters Suyash Sharma and Mohit Rathee. He described Suyash an exciting young prospect, while also stating that 21-year-old cannot be expected to replicate Shane Warne. It remains to be seen if the team can exceed the expectations this season.