Tuesday's Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans in Dharamshala will be Rajat Patidar's fifth playoffs appearance in six seasons.
Twice (2021 and 2024) he saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) crash out in the Eliminator. In 2022, he announced his arrival on the big stage by hitting the first century by an uncapped Indian in the Eliminator against LSG, before RCB bowed out in Qualifier-2 against Rajasthan Royals.
Last year, he led RCB to a demolition job in Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings to vault straight into the final. And he's hoping to repeat a similar performance against GT - not least because it gives them a four-day break and straight path, as against having to travel and play twice in three days should they take the circuitous route to the final.
"It's pretty obvious - if you finish in the top two, you give yourself two chances to reach the final," Patidar said on Monday. "Win Qualifier 1 and you go straight through. But honestly, that hasn't really been the conversation in our camp.
"From the very start of the season, our focus has simply been on winning every game. If we win here, the team will get a good break before the final, which is important, and I think everyone is looking forward to that."
And the way to do that is simple. Patidar believes RCB will have to adopt a similar plan to the kind they executed last year in Qualifier 1. On a surface with some pace and bounce, Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled PBKS for 107, before RCB's batters chased the score down.
He believes the powerplay will be massively crucial with the ball, if they are to stop GT's marauding opening pair of B Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill. They've put on 702 runs, the most by an opening pair this season, striking at 171. Gill has used the step-out shot to greater effect than earlier, while Sai Sudharsan is on a roll of five fifty-plus scores - the joint-most in the IPL alongside David Warner, Virender Sehwag and Jos Buttler.
"Our strength is bowling," he said of the prospect of watching Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood up against GT's openers. "The way we bowl in the powerplay, I think that will be very crucial. Everyone in the team knows that we are not here to defend; we are here with the mindset of attacking. We will look for early wickets. That is what we have done so far. Doing the same thing again and again, I think it will make the difference. That is what Bhuvi, Hazlewood and Rasikh (Salam) are doing. We hope that we will continue in the same process."
Asked if he did things any differently to last year as captain, Patidar touched upon relying on the collective experience of the senior players. In a recent chat, director of cricket Mo Bobat alluded to how Patidar is a big believer in being in control of things on the field, while letting the team management handle the planning and preparation off it.
"To be honest, I don't need to do anything extra," Patidar explained. "Our management, coaching staff and senior players have a lot of experience and that is helping me a lot as a leader. I get so many ideas from VK (Virat Kohli) bhai, Devdutt (Padikkal), Jitesh (Sharma), (Josh) Hazlewood, Tim David. I think their ideas and experience are helping me a lot.
"I don't need to do anything separately. I am not as expressive as I am individually. But with the help of game awareness, I understand the situation well. I communicate as much as I can so that I can get more ideas about what we can do better. Overall, I don't need to change anything. My strength, calmness, and the way I back my instincts, that is what I am doing."
Patidar was particularly effusive in his praise for his state mate and good friend Venkatesh Iyer, who has given the team management a healthy selection headache through his performances in the last two games.
Against PBKS in Dharamshala last week, he made 73 not out batting at No. 4 in Patidar's absence due to concussion. In their final league fixture, he struck a quickfire 44 while opening the batting with Kohli in RCB's steep chase of 256.
On Tuesday, it's likely Venkatesh will fill in to open if Phil Salt misses out - indications are he will, as he continues to recover from a finger injury. Patidar said he was still being treated by the doctors. Salt didn't bat either, and just did laps around the ground. All of it point to Venkatesh retaining his slot as opener.
"I know Venky from childhood and the way he presents himself is extraordinary," Patidar said. "The way he plays in any given situation and his flexibility in the batting order, I really like his attitude. When he was in KKR, he was their main player. But in the RCB starting XI, he didn't get any chances. He also knew that we weren't going to be making any changes. But he accepted that. And he contributed as much as he could from outside.
"And when he got the chance to play, he was ready. He was preparing himself even when he wasn't getting opportunities. But the time he spent in nets, the quality he showed with DK (batting coach Dinesh Karthik) - we were all practicing together, so I was watching him, and we kept talking. And the way he communicated showed he was ready, and as soon as he got the opportunity, he cashed in."
Looking ahead, Patidar believes Tuesday's match is a clash of equals. He was merely stating the obvious when he said, the "team that will execute their plan better, who will play better cricket, who will be calm under pressure, I think that team will win the match.
"I think both the teams are equally good. We have to be calm under pressure. Of course, it is a big stage. We have to hold our nerves and be confident in whatever we are doing."