
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, fresh from leading his team to their first IPL title, recently got caught in a bizarre and amusing situation — all thanks to a deactivated mobile number.
Patidar had an old phone number that he hadn’t used for over three months. As per standard telecom procedure, his service provider shut down the connection and reissued it to someone else.
Received calls from Kohli, De Villiers
That “someone” turned out to be Manish, a teenager from Gariaband, Chhattisgarh. After inserting his new SIM in June, Manish was surprised to see a WhatsApp profile photo of… Rajat Patidar. The surprise turned into full-blown confusion when calls started coming in from cricket icons like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, all trying to reach the RCB captain.
A guy from Chhattisgarh purchased a new sim which turned out to be Rajat Patidar's old number.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 10, 2025
- He received calls from Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers, but after Patidar informed the Police, the man returned the sim. pic.twitter.com/Hqrl2fcek5
Initially, Manish and his friend Khemraj thought it was some elaborate prank and laughed it off. Even when Patidar himself phoned to explain the situation and request the number back, the boys jokingly replied, “Sure… and we’re MS Dhoni.”
That light-hearted tone shifted quickly when Patidar warned that he would involve the police. Within minutes, local officers arrived, and the teenagers realised the mix-up was genuine. They promptly returned the SIM, bringing a strange and funny chapter in Patidar’s life to a close.
Rajat Patidar etched his name in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s history by becoming the first captain to lead the franchise to an IPL title.
Under his captaincy, RCB displayed a well-balanced approach, combining aggressive batting with disciplined bowling. His ability to inspire teammates and make bold on-field decisions proved decisive in the team’s championship run.
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