After T20I squad snub, Rajat Patidar wreaks havoc against Ashutosh Sharma's team with 30-ball 65 in 51-run win

A day after T20I squad snub, the two-time IPL-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, Rajat Patidar scored a blazing half-century in the ongoing Madhya Pradesh Premier League 2026. Leading Gwalior Cheetahs, Patidar helped his side recover from three early blows with a 30-ball 65. Cheetahs posted 190/7. Ashutosh Sharma-led Malwa Stallions faltered in the run chase and were bowled out for 139 in 17.1 overs, suffering a 51-run defeat on June 7 at Daly College Ground, Indore.

Earlier, Ashutosh had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Vineet Rawat struck twice in his first over, dismissing Kartik Parihar and Saumy Pandey. In his next over, he conceded three boundaries but got the wicket of Kuldeep Dehi. Patidar arrived at the crease in the sixth over. Parth Chaudhary departed for a 34-ball 38 in the 11th over. Then, Patidar looked to attack. Another wicket falling at the other end did not bother him. He hit Ashutosh for a six and a four in the 14th over.

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The skipper reached his fifty with a six off Rawat's bowling in the 16th over. He took 25 deliveries to reach the fifty-run mark. In the 17th over, Harshwardhan Singh ended Patidar's stay at the crease. He hit four sixes and six fours in the 30-ball 65. Mangesh Yadav's unbeaten 17-ball 33 cameo took Gwalior Cheetahs to 190/7.

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Good start, run chase derailed in middle overs

Stallions' run chase got off to a good start with 47 runs on the board after four overs. Pandey broke the opening partnership with Ansh Yadav's wicket. He scored 30 runs from 19 balls, including three fours and a couple of sixes. In the seventh over, Ishan Afridi struck twice to dismiss Parth Sahani and Nigote Yadav. In the 11th over, Stallions lost two more wickets. Akash Raghuwanshi got rid of Rakesh Thakur who scored 33 runs from 26 deliveries. Prashant Kasde fell for a single-digit score. In his third over, Afridi got the wicket of Rishabh Chauhan.

Then, another two-wicket over ruled out possibility of a comeback. Pandey returned to get the wickets of Aryan Deshmukh and Ishan Choudhary in the 14th over. Mangesh got wickets of skipper Ashutosh and Rawat in consecutive overs as Stallions were bowled out for 139 in 17.1 overs. They lost the match by 51 runs.

Patidar Cheetahs registered their second win of the season. He was named 'Player of the match' for his quickfire fifty.

Patidar in top form but no T20I call-up

Meanwhile, the maiden T20I call-up continues to elude the RCB skipper. In the recently-concluded IPL 2026, he scored 501 runs from 14 innings at an average of 41.75 and strike rate of 192.69. He scored five half-centuries in the season.