Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar is set to return ahead of the IPL 2026 play-offs after recovering from the neck injury that forced him to miss the side’s previous outing against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala. RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat confirmed the skipper is fully fit and back training with the squad before their crucial clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Patidar’s return comes as a major boost for RCB, who have already secured a play-off berth and are now pushing for a top-two finish alongside Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“Rajat’s good to go,” Bobat told reporters in Hyderabad ahead of RCB’s clash against SRH on May 22. “We were cautious and didn’t take any risks with him. We thought we’d give him a little bit longer to recover and rest, but he’s here, he’s practicing, and he’s good to go.”
Patidar missed the must-win clash against PBKS due to precautionary concussion concerns after suffering a blow to the helmet in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders. In his absence, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma step in as captain, while Venkatesh Iyer played a key role in stabilising the middle order during RCB’s successful push into the play-offs.
Bobat also praised the team’s consistency this season and insisted the franchise remains focused on taking one game at a time despite the growing stakes heading into the business end of the tournament.
“It sounds like a bit of a clich, but we just try and take one game at a time. Whether we’re home or away, it doesn’t really matter to us. We try and understand the conditions, respect the opposition, plan for them, and then focus on what we’re good at and try and do that as well as we can,” he said. “It’s pleasing that we’ve been consistent. We’ve obviously won a number of games and even the games that we haven’t won, we’ve been competitive.”
BHUVI RE-GEN?
Bobat also reserved special praise for veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, highlighting both his on-field performances and leadership qualities within the squad.
“Bhuvi has been brilliant. His outcomes have been excellent, he’s taken a lot of wickets, but also he’s bowled with excellent rhythm,” Bobat said. “He’s been effective at the front end of the innings and also the back end, so we’re very pleased with how he’s going.”
The RCB official further stressed the importance of Bhuvneshwar’s experience in guiding younger players and supporting the leadership group. “He talks well in meetings, he’s a good source of insight and ideas on the field under pressure. He can be a great support to Rajat and Jitesh as well, which is really important. We get huge value out of him because he gives us so much,” he added.
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