Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has backed Rajat Patidar’s selection in India’s white-ball squads after Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a convincing 92-run win against Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier at Dharamshala on Tuesday.

Patidar scored a magnum opus knock of 93 runs off just 33 balls with the help of five fours and nine sixes. The RCB captain scored his runs at a blistering strike rate of 281.82 and played an instrumental role in helping his team post an above-par score of 254 runs on the board.

The flamboyant batter got off to a sedate start, scoring 14 runs off the first 10 balls but on the next 23 deliveries, he smashed 79 runs. Patidar also had the rub of the green as he was dropped by Kagiso Rabada when he was on 20. 

Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “India has given him a chance in Tests but not in white-ball cricket. But he should be given a chance in the white-ball formats for India. He should at least be in the 15. Patidar deserves a place in white-ball cricket for India, as he’s one guy who can finish off and win the match in the middle overs single-handedly for you.”

The 1983 World Cup-winning player said he has never seen a batter smash the opposition bowling like Patidar does in the middle overs.

“RCB, led by him, showed how to get into a final by terrorizing the opponent. I have never seen anyone smash the bowling in the middle overs like him. Once he gets his eye in, he hits sixes and fours at will. Rabada’s dropped catch off him was a sitter by international standards. After that, Patidar just took off from the 15th over,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

“He smashed even Rabada for sixes at will. Then, he demolished Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The way he paced himself was outstanding. He played most of his shots in the V and hardly played anything across the line. I was amazed by his sense of timing.”

Patidar has scored 486 runs in 13 innings of IPL 2026 at an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of 196.76.