Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain, Rajat Patidar. (Annie’s photo)
Former India player Harbhajan Singh has publicly questioned national selectors after Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar was left out of India’s latest T20I squad despite another Indian Premier League campaign.the
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India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England and the Asian Games has been officially announced, with several notable changes attracting attention. Shreyas Iyer was appointed as the team’s captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav, while 15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi earned his maiden call-up to the senior India team. Tilak Varma has been appointed deputy commander.Taking to social media soon after the team’s announcement, Harbhajan expressed his disappointment over Patidar’s omission and strongly supported the player’s middle-order credentials.“Sad to not have Rajat Patidar in the Indian team. What else should he do? Scored 501 runs, batting average around 200. Unfair 💔 @rrjjt_01 Easily the best middle order in India. Proper striker with good style,” Harbhajan posted.
Patidar’s impressive IPL credentials
Harbhajan’s criticism has its roots in Patidar’s remarkable rise over the last two seasons in the Indian Premier League. The right-hander has not only established himself as one of the most devastating batsmen in the tournament, but has also shown strong leadership skills as a skipper.
Patidar guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title in 2025, ending the franchise’s 18-year wait for silverware. He followed up this feat with another successful season in 2026, leading RCB to back-to-back titles while maintaining his impressive batting form.In IPL 2026, Patidar amassed 501 runs in 15 matches while scoring nearly 200 runs. His fearless approach against pace and spin made him one of the most dangerous middle-order hitters in the competition.
He also averaged 41.75 during the season and cleared the boundary ropes 42 times.
India lineup for Ireland vs England T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dubey, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.India squad for the Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (centre), Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dubey, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun C, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah.