Rajat Patidar, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), is recovering from a finger injury that would have sidelined him for at least two IPL 2025 matches. However, with the tournament temporarily suspended due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, Patidar has been given a brief window to recover and avoid missing any matches.
Patidar sustained the injury during RCB’s home game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3 while fielding. He was advised to wear a splint and refrain from training for at least 10 days before the injury could be reassessed.
The suspension of the IPL has provided RCB with the opportunity to be cautious with Patidar’s recovery, ensuring he is fit for the playoffs and the upcoming India A tour of England. The squad for the tour is expected to be announced soon.
Patidar returned to Bengaluru from Lucknow with the rest of the RCB squad on Saturday. Despite the injury, Patidar remains hopeful about resuming his participation in the IPL if the league restarts soon following the ceasefire between India and Pakistan announced on Saturday evening.
In Patidar’s absence, Jitesh Sharma was in line to captain RCB against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 8, before the suspension of the IPL for a week. Jitesh expressed gratitude for the captaincy opportunity, acknowledging the responsibility of leading the team in Patidar’s absence and the strategic challenges that came with it.
RCB has been hit with multiple injury setbacks, including Phil Salt’s illness, Devdutt Padikkal’s hamstring injury, and Josh Hazlewood’s shoulder injury. As of Sunday, all overseas players and coaching staff had left India but are on standby to return if the tournament resumes.
At the time of the suspension, RCB were second on the points table with eight wins and three defeats from 11 matches. The team has three remaining fixtures—an away game against LSG, and home matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), though the venues may change depending on the revised IPL schedule.
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