RCB will be without captain Rajat Patidar for their crucial game against the Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. Patidar suffered an injury and did not travel to the ground as he continues to recover. In his absence, Jitesh Sharma will captain the side for the first time in IPL 2026.
"Rajat is doing fantastic and we should see him in Hyderabad. Every game is important, this win can change a lot for us and other teams," stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma said at the toss.
What happened to Rajat Patidar?
Rajat Patidar is injured and did not travel to Dharamshala. He also did not participate in a the two training sessions. The nature of his injury is unknown but it is expected to be a short break. Patidar is expected to be fit for RCB's final league stage game against SRH in Hyderabad.
Patidar has been one of RCB’s standout performers this season, amassing 326 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 195, including hitting three half-centuries. But his absence for the clash against CSK leaves a significant void in RCB’s middle order and it will be interesting to see who replaces him in the starting eleven.
RCB are currently sitting on top of the points table and a win over PBKS will confirm their playoffs berth. They arrive in Dharamsala on the back of successive victories. RCB will also continue to miss opener Phil Salt, who is yet to return from England after a finger injury. It means his compatriot Jacob Bethell will partner Virat Kohli at the top.
Jitesh leads RCB against ex-side
Jitesh Sharma captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the latter part of IPL 2025. Although Rajat Patidar was the designated skipper for the season, Jitesh led the side in an important playoff clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after Patidar was used as an Impact Substitute.
He played for Punjab Kings before his move to RCB. In fact, Jitesh had also led Punjab, in stand-in capacity in the absence of regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan.
