Royal Challengers Bengaluru are currently facing the uncertainty over their captain Rajat Patidar for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 which is scheduled to start from May 17, Saturday. Patidar who injured his finger during RCB's home fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will reportedly take a long time to recover.
Indian Express reported that the Madhya Pradesh batter will take a long time to recover and he will also likely to miss a spot in the India A squad for the England tour. The report further added that Patidar needs recovery time, it remains to be seen if he continues to play in the IPL. If the IPL wasn’t suspended for a week because of the tensions in the border, it is understood that Patidar wouldn’t have featured in at least the next two games for the franchise. As things stand, Patidar has been advised to wear a splint to protect his finger, with his injury set to be reassessed in the coming days.
The reports further added that Patidar will likely to feature as a batter if he is fit to bat because he has been told not to bat in the team's practice sessions.
If Patidar is ruled out of the IPL 2025, then it will be a huge blow for the Bengaluru-based franchise. RCB are currently second in the points table with eight wins in 11 outings. RCB faced a huge blow before the IPL was suspended, as their middle-order batter Devdutt Padikkal was ruled out of the tournament because of a hamstring injury. The franchise replaced the left-handed batter with Mayank Agarwal, who is now with the franchise for his second stint.
If Patidar isn’t available, then Jitesh Sharma will most likely to lead RCB in the remaining matches. Apart from Patidar, there are threat looming over their premier pacer Josh Hazlewood’s availability. The Australian star flew back home after the tournament was suspended. He is also currently on the road to recovery. RCB will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their upcoming clash on May 17 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.