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As Rajat Patidar's take on the challenge of becoming Royal Challengers Bengaluru's new captain, franchise veteran AB de Villiers spoke about the leadership challenge ahead of the opening game of IPL 2025. Speaking to Jio Hotstar he said his biggest challenge is going to be stepping in as a captain after such big players like Faf Du Plessis and, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers.
Patidar was announced as RCB's new captain last month. He will lead the IPL team for the first time. Patidar has captaincy experience as a member of the Madhya Pradesh team across all formats. He led MP to the finals of last year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. "I think his biggest challenge will be insecurity--stepping into the big boots of past captains like Faf (du Plessis) and Virat (Kohli). Having Virat around and constantly doubting yourself, 'Am I doing the right thing? What would Virat do?'--that, I think, is his biggest obstacle." AB de Villiers said on Jio Hotstar. He also discussed how Patidar could overcome this challenge. De Villiers said he should always trust his game and remember why he was picked for captaincy. He should lead the team in his own style and not try to captain like Kohli and Du Plessis. He also mentioned Virat Kohli's experience and said Patidar should use it in the best way possible. "The way to overcome it is to constantly remind yourself, 'Why am I in this position? Why did they pick me?' There must be a good reason for it. It's time for me to trust it and stay true to who I am--not try to captain like Virat or Faf, but to lead in my way. He should use the experience of Virat, Andy Flower, and other senior players but always stay true to himself. That, to me, would be the best advice for Patidar," he added. On the Impact Player Rule and High-Scoring Matches in IPL, AB de Villiers discussed the impact player rule and its influence on the game. This new rule has completely changed the game. It frees the top-order batters to take risks in the power play. He also felt that it is unfair for the bowlers as this impact player rule gives batters freedom, which makes bowling difficult due to fielding restrictions. "The impact player rule has changed the game a lot. As we have seen from some players' comments, it frees up the top three batters--they can take more risks. In a way, it feels a bit unfair, and I've shared some criticism about that. Fielding restrictions allowing only two fielders outside the ring, along with the added freedom for top-order batters, make things complicated for the bowlers. But it is exciting for the batters. We might just see that 300-run mark breached in this IPL season." he added. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the season opener on Saturday, March 22, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. (ANI)
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