Rakep Patel - Kenya - WK-Batsman

Rakep Patel is a Kenyan right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner. He first debuted for Kenya Select XI in first-class cricket at the age of 17 against Westerns in Zimbabwe's Logan Cup. He started his career as a lower middle order batsman and since then has moved up the order with the role of providing stability in the batting line-up.

Patel made his T20I debut against Scotland in August 2008 and his ODI debut against Netherlands in the same month. He had to pull out of the Intercontinental Cup game against Canada in 2009 when his father passed away and the then captain Maurice Odumbe dedicated the team's win to Patel's father. Just a few months later, in a 50-over game against Uganda, Patel cracked an aggressive 71 in just 29 deliveries leading Kenya to a brilliant win.

Patel came into limelight when he smashed a fantastic 92 that set up Kenya's 6-wicket win over Netherlands in February 2010. Since then, he has been an integral part of the Kenyan squad.

When Collins Obuya had an altercation with a team-mate in late 2013 and was banned for a couple of game, Rakep Patel captained the side. Upon Obuya's resignation in December 2013, Patel was officially named as the captain by Cricket Kenya.

By Sonali Dhulap
As of May 2014