Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar is unavailable for the IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Sunday, May 17, on account of an injury. In his absence, vice-captain Jitesh Sharma is leading the side on this vital playoff contest.
Patidar had suffered a blow to the helmet from a pointy bouncer delivered by Kartik Tyagi during RCB’s recent victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. The appropriate-handed batter appeared uncomfortable after the impact, though he continued batting following the mandatory concussion check conducted by the physios.
Nonetheless, reports stated that he didn’t travel with the squad to Dharamshala for the PBKS match. Jitesh Sharma later revealed that Patidar is recovering well and will return for RCB’s final league-stage game against Sunrisers Hyderabad away from home.
“We’d have loved to bowl first, however the wicket is sweet and will play well for 40 overs. Rajat is doing unbelievable and we must always see him in Hyderabad. Every game is very important, this win can change lots for us and other teams. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy,” Jitesh Sharma said after losing the toss.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Jitesh Sharma Steps Up Again As Stand-In Captain For RCB In IPL
The wicketkeeper-batter had also captained the side in just a few matches last season when Rajat Patidar was sidelined with a finger injury. Although Jitesh Sharma lost his first match as Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he bounced back strongly with a memorable win over Lucknow Super Giants on the Ekana Stadium, scoring an excellent 85 off just 33 balls.
Jitesh had first captained within the IPL throughout the 2024 season for Punjab Kings when each Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran were unavailable.
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