RCB suffer Rajat Patidar injury scare ahead of IPL 2026
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar is likely to be out for a long time due to an injury sustained during the first unofficial Test match against South Africa. The muscle tear he suffered in the first Test could jeopardize his participation in the Indian Premier League 2026. According to Dainik Jagran's Abhishek Tripathi, Patidar may be sidelined for four months, which could affect his recent momentum.
Career implications
Impact on Patidar's career
The potential four-month recovery period would mean Patidar misses the entire Ranji Trophy season and other domestic tournaments. This could severely hurt his chances of making a comeback into the Indian Test team. However, if his rehabilitation goes as planned, he could be fit in time to defend RCB's title in IPL 2025. Notably, under his leadership, RCB won their maiden title earlier this year. Captain Patidar amassed 312 runs at a strike rate of 143.77 in the season.
Performance review
Patidar was recently in the limelight
The 32-year-old batter was in top form lately, scoring his maiden Ranji Trophy double century for Madhya Pradesh against Punjab. In the 2024-25 season, he scored 529 runs in seven matches at an average of 77. This stellar performance had put him on the selectors' radar for a possible return to the Indian Test setup.
Streak
Golden streak as captain
Patidar has had a wonderful run as captain this year. After leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title, Patidar lifted the Duleep Trophy for the Central Zone after his side defeated the South Zone. He played a vital role with the bat in both these tournaments. Albeit in a losing cause, he led Rest of India (ROI) in the 2025 Irani Cup against Vidarbha, the reigning Ranji Trophy champions.