Picture Credit: IPL/Twitter
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Rajat Patidar made headlines for his match-winning knock against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2022 Eliminator. The right-handed batter scored 112* off just 54 balls to help his team post 207/4 while batting first. Patidar was also adjudged Man of the Match for his knock.
With the big three of RCB- Kohli, du Plessis, and Maxwell failing to go big, Patidar stepped up and timed the ball beautifully throughout his inning to keep LSG at bay. But what were the odds of an uncapped player scoring a century in a must-win game for RCB when top stars failed to deliver?
Nonetheless, it happened and with an interesting revelation made by Patidar’s father, it seems it was destined. According to Rajat Patidar’s father, the Madhya Pradesh cricketer postponed his wedding ceremony to be a part of the RCB camp. The 28-year-old was all set to get married on May 9 as he had gone unsold at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
However, after he was named as Luvnith Sisodia’s replacement as the former injured himself, Patidar decided to postpone his wedding. Patidar's father further stated that they had chosen a girl from Ratlam, booked a hotel and that May 9 was locked in as the date of the marriage.
Patidar scripts history
With his match-winning knock of 112*, Patidar got his name etched in the history books of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He became the first uncapped player in the history of IPL to score a century in the Playoffs. He also registered the highest score by an uncapped player in the biggest T20 league. He surpassed Manish Pandey (94 for KKR in 2014).
The 28-year-old now has the highest score by any RCB batsman in knockout games. The previous best was that of Gayle in 2011 where is scored 89 against Mumbai Indians. Patidar is now just the fifth player in the history of IPL to score a 100 in a playoffs match.