After Yash Dayal, Rajat Patidar Gets Involved In Police Case Virat Kohli, Ab De Villiers Dragged In

A small grocery shop in Madagaon Devbhog, Chhattisgarh, found itself at the centre of a strange cricket story when calls meant for RCB captain Rajat Patidar reached its owner. The mix-up over Patidar's old phone number gained attention after two local fans kept calling, prompting him to contact the police.

Rajat Patidar was retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ?11 crore ahead of the 2025 season. The middle-order batter took over the captaincy and proved his skills in his first season as skipper. Notably, the 32-year-old guided RCB to their first-ever IPL title, ending the team's 18-year quest for the trophy.

In late June, a boy named Manish from Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district purchased a new Reliance Jio SIM card from a local shop, according to NDTV. The number had been deactivated by the telecom provider after remaining unused for over 90 days and was earlier registered to cricketer Rajat Patidar.

Once activated, the number still displayed Patidar's photograph as the WhatsApp profile picture. Manish and his friend Khemraj didn't think much of it, unaware that they had stumbled into a humorous situation connecting them to the contact lists of some of India's biggest cricket names.

Manish's newly activated phone number began receiving calls from some of cricket's biggest names, including Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The Chhattisgarh youngster and his friend Khemraj found the situation amusing.

On July 15, the incident took an unexpected turn when Patidar himself contacted Manish. Patidar stated that the number is important for communicating with his coaches, teammates, and close associates.

"Bhai, I'm Rajat Patidar. That number is mine, please return it," the RCB skipper told the two friends.

"And we're MS Dhoni," they replied.

However, Manish and Khemraj responded in jest, refusing to believe the caller was truly the RCB captain. The mix-up, which began with a simple SIM card purchase, had now drawn direct involvement from Patidar and showed how a reassigned number could spark a comedy of errors.

Rajat Patidar had to approach the police when Manish and Khemraj refused to cooperate. Patidar warned, "Okay, I'll send the cops."