Rajat Patidar, a minor domestic league player from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, who came in as a replacement player for RCB in the ongoing season, smashed the fastest century of the IPL 2022. Powering Royal Challengers Bangalore to a mammoth total of 207/4 against Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, Rajat batted with the right amount of temperament that the game demands. Initially, Rajat was not even picked during the auction, however, was selected in the mid-season as a replacement for injured Luvinth Sisodia.
A knock to remeber: 112 of just 54
While the crowd at Eden Garden was hoping to see the big score steered by the former Indian captain Virat Kohli, it was the uncapped Rajat Patidar who gave them a reason to cheer. After the fall of skipper du Plessis in the first over of the Eliminator, Rajat had to come in while the ball was still new. He waited for some time and then unleashed an onslaught against the bowling lineup of Lucknow Super Giants. The 49-ball century that steered clear the RCB into the next stage of the playoff was good enough to be remembered by the crowd at Eden Gardens.
Patidar started his outrageous batting in the fifth over against the left-arm spinner, Krunal Pandya. Three fours and a six against Krunal in just an over helped RCB to reach 50. His next break-out was in the 16th over against the clever Ravi Bishnoi, as he hit three sixes and two fours. Batters like Kohli and Maxwell struggled to hit big, meanwhile, Patidar on the other hand continued to hit at least a boundary in every over, maintaining the pace for the team.
A window into the playoff for Lucknow Super Giants
Ravi Bishnoi would have got Rajat Patidar’s wicket if Deepak Hooda hadn’t dropped a relatively easy catch at the boundary on the third delivery of the over, allowing Rajat to continue his onslaught. He was dropped again in the 18th over, but this time, a difficult catch at the third man.
It was evidently the last chance for the Lucknow Super Giants’ bowlers as the next delivery went straight for a massive six, allowing Rajat to clear the 100 mark in just 49 balls. With a total of 12 four and 7 sixes, Rajat Patidar scored an epic knock of 112 in just 54 balls. Batting at a strike rate of 207 isn’t easy in games that are full of pressure. It takes the right amount of almost everything to play a knock like this.
Best supporting role: Dinesh Karthik
Rajat was further accompanied by the Indian Wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik, who smashed an unbeaten 37 in just 23 deliveries. Last five overs, with Karthik and Patidar on the crease, the duo slammed 84 runs, taking the total to 207. Both the batsmen finished unbeaten and with heads high.
The match ended with two records in the name of Rajat Patidar, one for hitting the fastest century in the 15th season of the IPL. And second, with this century, Patidar became the first-ever uncapped Indian player in the history of the Indian Premier League to smash a ton in playoffs. The previous fastest ton in the league was registered in the name of LSG skipper KL Rahul (56 deliveries).
Indore’s Rajat Patidar finishes off in style with 112* off just 54 deliveries.
