AB de Villiers Would Give his Retired Jersey No.17 to RCB's 'Pata Man': Find Out Who's He

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) discovered a match-winner in Rajat Patidar during their quest for the title last year. He rose to the occasion with a blazing hundred in the eliminator, helping his team knock Luknow Super Giants out of the league. The RCB couldn’t made it to the finals but Patidar had certainly cemented his place in the squad, despite joining the camp midway, as a replacement player. But unfortunately, the Madhya Pradesh batter got ruled out of the IPL 2023 with a heel injury.

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Meanwhile, former RCB batter AB de Villiers has heaped massive praise on Patidar and termed him a future superstar. Speaking on the ‘RCB Insider’ show, De Villiers was asked if there was any player in the RCB camp whom he would present the now-retired RCB jersey No. 17. The South African legend gave it a thought and then named Patidar as the deserving candidate.

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“That’s a tough question. Maybe Rajat Patidar. ‘The Pata Man’. I gave him that nickname. He looks good. He will be a stalwart for RCB in the future. I want to give it to a youngster, maybe Rajat," De Villiers said.

The former cricketer further spoke about compatriot Faf du Plessis who is currently leading the RCB. While AB retired from the IPL following the 2021 edition, the latter joined the franchise as their new skipper from the 2022 edition.

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De Villiers said he was delighted when RCB signed the former CSK batter and feels Du Plessis could end the franchise’s trophy drought.

“Always. I knew it was going to happen (Du Plessis to RCB). Faf is the perfect fit. I think he is going to bring us a trophy. I think he is very happy. When he arrived here, he realized why I have always been so happy over the years," AB further said.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are currently standing at the eighth position in the IPL 2023 points table with two wins from five games.

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