Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar has said that he is not hoping to be selected for India’s upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England, adding that he is only focused on the clash against the Gujarat Titans in the final of IPL 2026.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31. On the eve of the title clash, Patidar addressed the media and was asked whether he was hoping to earn a spot in India’s team for the upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England.
Patidar offered a blunt and straightforward response, saying ‘no’ without any hesitation or elaboration.
“No, I am not looking forward to the possibility of getting selected for those tours [in June and July],”
Patidar said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.
Patidar is RCB’s second-highest run-scorer of the tournament, with 486 runs in 13 matches at an average of 44.18 and a strike rate of 196.76. These numbers have made Patidar a contender for a spot in India’s T20I team.
Gujarat Titans’ top order has been one of the standout batting units of IPL 2026. Openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have both crossed the 700-run mark this season, while No. 3 batter Jos Buttler has also enjoyed a brilliant campaign.
Acknowledging their form, Patidar said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru had drawn up specific plans to counter the Titans’ in-form top three.
“Yes, their top-order is quite good. But we have some plans. We just need to execute them tomorrow,” Patidar said.
Only two skippers in IPL history have defended their title by winning consecutive trophies. MS Dhoni achieved the feat with Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, while Rohit Sharma repeated it with the Mumbai Indians in 2019 and 2020.
