The captaincy of Rajat Patidar in IPL 2026 is becoming the hottest talking point and it is really not surprising as to why so many comparisons are being drawn between the RCB skipper and MS Dhoni. It is not only about the haircut where he does actually look very similar to the former Indian captain but his captaincy where he has led the RCB to the second IPL trophy in their history. His team's success has been built around consistency, calmness, and an effective team culture, qualities that made MS Dhoni one of the best captain the sport has witnessed. The visual similarity that fans saw with Dhoni's hairstyle is now also apparent in Patidar's leadership, that is becoming stronger with every passing match. 'More Than Just the Long Hair' The long hair in Dhoni's initial playing days was iconic his real impact was felt on the field when facing immense pressure during big tournaments. Dhoni always backed his strategies and his teammates while remaining incredibly calm under the circumstances. It seems Patidar has embraced that similar mindset during his stint with RCB. Captaincy at RCB is the one of the most scrutinized jobs in Indian cricket, and the franchise, which houses one of the greatest ever in the game, Virat Kohli, already has enormous attention on it. However the skipper managed to keep his cool throughout the season with composed decision making and stable body language that never faltered. This temperament became the hallmark of RCB's title winning run. Also Read | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Earns ₹2.77 Crore After IPL 2026 The Calming Leader Who Lets Players Shine A compliment about Patidar's role in the RCB dressing room by their former RCB wicket keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik stated after the IPL final Dinesh said : "Rajat has been a huge calming influence in a dressing room that is high-octane and high testosterone. He keeps things very calm, and that's so important." It perfectly summarizes the changing demeanor of the RCB squad under him, as RCB traditionally banks on their high-octane style of cricket, but with his inclusion, a balanced approach has been built up into the squad. Karthik's statement "I think he likes to be a star, not a superstar," strongly resonates with the nature of MS Dhoni who's more than happy with the spotlight shifting towards his players rather than him and his more of a role where he just guides his teammates and makes them shine rather than doing it all alone. Trust in his bowlers. The remark is somewhat reminiscent of MS Dhoni's style of placing tremendous belief in his bowlers and not getting involved in their strategies Patidar Explained : "My style of captaincy is different I'm not very expressive but I'm always aware of the game situation, I don't go to the bowlers too often because I trust them. They already have clear plans. My job is not to disturb them repeatedly." The RCB team 2026 everyone feels as though they have always been going about what they are doing and that the captain, captain knows what is going on the decisions that are made are reasonable and thought out, he feels that every team member, with experience or not is just as valued, "Everybody feels as though they are important". So why this comparison feels natural? It has always been difficult to compare any skipper to the legendary MS Dhoni because of the sheer impact he has had on the sport. However, this year Rajat Patidar's comparison to him has gained ground on account of valid reasons too. Rajat Patidar's calmness and belief in his players and handling the pressure has brought much needed stability for RCB which eventually leads to the IPL title second time. Although initially it was the long hair, it is now Rajat Patidar's composure that reiterates the comparison.