RCB have a few captaincy options to replace Rajat Patidar.
Rajat Patidar injury has raised concerns around the RCB captaincy status for IPL 2026. The current RCB captain sustained an injury while playing for India A and will be out for at least four months.
While he is expected to be fit in time, such injuries can often take a bit longer, and the management will need to pin down the options as the RCB captain if he is unavailable. There are a few options in the squad who bring vast experience playing the format and leading various teams.
We look at three players for RCB captaincy if Rajat Patidar injury doesn’t allow him to feature in IPL 2026.
Jitesh Sharma emerges as the top candidate as RCB captain in Patidar’s absence. Last season, he led them for two matches when Patidar was unavailable, winning one and losing one each.
Jitesh is among the sharpest brains in the franchise, and his captaincy credentials have been highly rated, as confirmed by his appointment as India A captain for the Rising Asia Cup. Additionally, his retention is certain after what he achieved last season, and he remains the most obvious choice to replace Patidar at the helm.
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Krunal Pandya is among the most experienced members in the RCB squad and has ample captaincy experience in the league and domestically. He is Baroda’s captain across formats and has led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL before.
Pandya can be the RCB captain since he is another settled member and understands how to lead a T20 franchise. He has been in the captaincy role in one way or another for the last few years, at least domestically, and should at least be the vice-captain if Patidar is ruled out for the whole season.
Virat Kohli has not shown interest in returning as RCB captain since relinquishing the role in 2021, but he remains one of the options in the squad. Overall, Kohli has been in the RCB captaincy role 143 times, the most in the franchise’s history, and won 66 at a win% of 48.56.
When Faf du Plessis played as an impact player in 2023, Kohli returned for a few matches as RCB captain, but he might be reluctant to re-take the role, especially since they have other options. That said, Virat Kohli can always come to the helm – thanks to his experience and value in a franchise he has played for 18 years.
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