Rajat Patidar cleared to play after knee injury: Details here
What's the story
Rajat Patidar, the captain of Madhya Pradesh, has been cleared to play by the BCCI's Centre of Excellence. The decision comes after his recovery from a left-knee niggle. He will rejoin his team in Kolkata on Friday and be available for the third round of matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting Sunday. Patidar's absence from competitive cricket lasted four weeks due to persistent knee pain.
Rehabilitation process
Patidar's journey to recovery
Patidar's knee issue first arose during Madhya Pradesh's opening Ranji Trophy match against Punjab on October 15. He played for India A in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A on October 30, but missed the last two weeks of the Ranji Trophy due to persistent pain. However, after a 10-day rehabilitation program, he was given an RTP certificate by CoE's medical team and has now resumed batting.
Pre-injury form
Patidar's impressive performance before injury
Before his injury, Patidar was in superb form. He began the Ranji season with a double-century against Punjab and went on to score two centuries and two half-centuries as Central Zone captain in the title-winning Duleep Trophy. His return to white-ball cricket will be in SMAT 2025, after leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title earlier this year.
Past performance
Patidar's contribution to previous SMAT season
In the last SMAT season, Patidar was a key player for Madhya Pradesh, who finished as runners-up. He was the second-highest run-getter with 428 runs in nine innings at an impressive strike rate of 186.08. His performance included a whopping 27 sixes, which were the most in that season. The upcoming matches will be his first white-ball games since IPL 2025.
Information
A look at the player's stats in T20s
Patidar has featured in 90 T20 matches and owns 2,775 runs at 36.03. He owns 1 century and 26 fifties. The 32-year-old has a strike rate of 156.42 in the 20-over format. He has smoked 206 fours and 157 sixes.