Rajat Patidar broke Sachin Tendulkar's 1000-run IPL record

Okay, Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans, we know the match was a letdown, a rain-slashed 14-over showdown that ended in another L. BUT, let us all pause and bow down to Rajat Patidar, the man who basically said “Who cares about match results when I can rewrite IPL history?”

Milestone Unlocked 🔓

1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ runs and counting in the #TATAIPL for Rajat Patidar 👏

How many runs will the #RCB skipper score tonight? 🤔#RCBvPBKS | @rrjjt_01 pic.twitter.com/syF6DiPadQ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2025

RCB lost, but captain broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record

During the clash against Punjab Kings at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Patidar pulled off a statistical mic-drop that has never been done before by any Indian batter. He raced to 1000 IPL runs in just 30 innings ,  yes, faster than Sachin Tendulkar. The only Indian player quicker than him? Sai Sudharsan, who did it at 25. 

But here’s where Patidar outclasses everyone: he did it while averaging over 35 and maintaining a strike rate north of 150. That combo? Unmatched. Not even the GOATs pulled that off.

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Rajat Patidar becomes the first India to tick the elite stat box

Patidar’s record is not just about quick runs, it's about clean, consistent, carnage-mode cricket. He is the first Indian to tick that elite stat box, and it came when his team desperately needed a silver lining.

Unfortunately for RCB, the rest of the match was chaos. Batting first, they collapsed for 95/9, with only Tim David showing fight with a punchy 50 off 26 balls. Punjab’s bowling attack, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, and yes, old RCB fave Yuzvendra Chahal ,  basically treated the RCB line-up like their personal training net.

PBKS and RCB’s match

PBKS chased down the target in just 12.1 overs. Nehal Wadhera played a cheeky 33-run cameo while Josh Hazlewood tried his best with figures of 3/14, but it was too little, too late.

Still, the match will be remembered less for the loss and more for Patidar's “I am him” moment. With this record, he is not just RCB’s captain, he is officially on the radar as Indian cricket’s next big T20 powerhouse. And honestly? About time someone shook up the old legends’ club.