He injured his finger during the CSK clash.
As the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 inches closer, most franchises fret over the overseas players they will be missing. The action will resume on May 17 and will go on till June 3. Previously, the IPL Final was scheduled for May 25. This has narrowed the gap leading up to International tournaments, especially the World Test Championship (WTC) Final on June 11. However, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are on the brink of losing their Indian skipper, Rajat Patidar, due to injury concerns.
During RCB’s last clash against Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Patidar injured himself while fielding in the second innings. Later, he was seen with a splint to protect his finger, hinting at the seriousness of the injury.
During the ‘break’ video posted by RCB on their social media handle, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma revealed how he was preparing to lead for the upcoming clash against Lucknow Super Giants on May 9.
After IPL 2025 was temporarily suspended, it was understood that Patidar may have had ample time to recover before the tournament resumes. However, as per recent speculations, his presence is highly doubtful.
Depending on his fitness and participation in the practice sessions, Patidar may be used as an impact player for the league-stage games. He may play the full match during the IPL 2025 playoffs, given that the team qualifies despite missing several players from their squad.
In the 10 innings the 31-year-old batted, he made 239 runs at a strike rate of 140.58. He also struck two half-centuries.
Shortly before the IPL 2025 suspension, Devdutt Padikkal was ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Mayank Agarwal has been called as a replacement. Key pacer Josh Hazlewood may also miss the rest of the games. The Aussie bowler is nursing a shoulder niggle and also has WTC Final coming closer.
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In case Patidar has to sit out, Jitesh will take over the captaincy hat. Though playing his first season for this franchise, Jitesh has been a popular player in the RCB outfit.
The Vidarbha batter has made 128 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 142.22. His lower middle-order cameos have been helpful for RCB to inch closer to wins.
With Virat Kohli backing out of leadership duties, Jitesh is an ideal fit to lead the spirited team into the playoffs and hopefully, their elusive IPL 2025 trophy.
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