Rajat Patidar has officially returned to the ground, joining the Gwalior Cheetahs camp for the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026. Fresh off a historic, back-to-back title-winning campaign as the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026, Patidar has quickly swapped his red-and-gold colors for the dark blue and orange of the Gwalior franchise. He is set to lead the team as captain for the tournament opening match against the Ujjain Falcons at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Patidar enters the 2026 MPL season arguably at the highest peak of his career. In the recently concluded IPL 2026 season, he single-handedly transformed RCB’s legacy. He aggregated 501 runs across 15 matches at an average of 41.75, a strike rate of 192.69, backed up by 42 massive sixes.
Right before arriving for the MPL, he smashed a jaw-dropping 93 off just 33 balls in the IPL Qualifier 1. He has modeled his technical adjustments directly with mentor Dinesh Karthik. The JKC Sports-owned Gwalior Cheetahs were a force in 2025 but suffered a heartbreaking exit in the semi-finals. Management has brought Patidar back specifically to bridge that championship gap. Mangesh Yadav, who was the absolute standout top wicket-taker of the 2025 season, returns to lead the bowling department. The squad features breakout left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey, alongside reliable domestic seamers like Anubhav Agarwal.
Gwalior Cheetahs to face Ujjain Falcons in their first match at Indore
The opening clash between the Gwalior Cheetahs and the Ujjain Falcons is officially underway tonight, June 3, 2026, at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Serving as the grand curtain-raiser for the expanded 10-team Aditya Birla Group Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 2026, this match marks a highly anticipated regional rivalry. The stakes are immense as the revamped, expanded tournament sets a brand-new tone for regional cricket. Holkar Stadium is universally famous for its flat, batting-friendly tracks and short boundary dimensions. Historical MPL data indicates that the average first-innings score sits between 170–190 runs, meaning anything under 175 will be highly vulnerable to a second-innings chase.
With the match starting at 7:30 PM IST, the captain winning the toss will heavily lean toward fielding first to bypass defensive bowling struggles in wet, late-evening outfield conditions. During the previous season, while under heavy pressure, domestic batter Rishabh Chouhan emerged as their top stabilizing anchor by racking up 252 essential runs. While Rajat Patidar's participation for the Cheetahs is uncertain following IPL commitments, the team relies on Mangesh Yadav to lead the attack. They face a strong debutant Falcons side led by Yash Dubey.
