Rajat Patidar recovering from finger injury amid reports of IPL restarting soon
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar is still recovering from a finger injury. The suspension of the IPL 2025 will allow the cricketer to recover, but RCB in no mood to hurry him. Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma was supposed to captain the team in his absence.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar is still recovering from a finger injury that he suffered while fielding during the match against Chennai Super Kings. The 31-year-old was expected to miss at least two matches following the injury, but the sudden pause of the tournament gave him the much-needed time to recover. He is reportedly still recovering from the injury but is expected to be fit before the tournament restarts. However, the RCB management can be cautious in giving him a one-match break to be completely fit.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Patidar was advised to wear a splint to protect the finger and refrain from training for at least 10 days before the injury could be reassessed. RCB’s primary focus is to allow him time to recover so that the cricketer doesn’t meet the business end of the tournament. Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma was set to replace Patidar as captain for the match against Lucknow Super Giants.
The keeper-batter confirmed the development and noted that several things were going through his head. That included the possible team combination and meetings with the coaches and players.
“I was very grateful for the opportunity given to me. They were giving me an opportunity to captain RCB and it's a very big thing for me and my family. I was thinking of what the right combination would be because both Devdutt [Padikkal] and Rajat were not available, and it was a big responsibility to replace them,” Jitesh said on RCB Bold Diaries.
“And as per the position we were on the points table, we would have won this game. All of this was going on in my head and all the meetings with coaches and players in those two-three days, batting order, discussions with bowlers. I had good fun,” he added.
As things stand, IPL is set to resume on May 16 and will be played in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. However, the BCCI officials are yet to comment on the matter.