Rajat Patidar, captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has resumed batting after recovering from a finger injury on his right hand. The injury, sustained during fielding against Chennai Super Kings on 3rd May, necessitated a ten-day healing period.
Patidar gently reintroduced himself to batting with soft throwdowns, gradually progressing to more extensive movements. On Thursday evening, RCB’s training resumed, and he batted for over 30 minutes, seemingly unaffected by his right hand during the nets session. However, he abstained from fielding or taking catches.
Should Patidar be fit for the upcoming match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), it could provide a significant lift for RCB. The team is currently second on the points table with eight wins from 11 matches, requiring at least two more victories to secure a top-two finish—an achievement that has eluded them since 2016.
Patidar’s return partially compensates for the absence of Devdutt Padikkal in the No. 3 spot. Padikkal has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury. Mayank Agarwal, mainly an opener, has been roped in as a replacement. Additionally, the team will lack Jacob Bethell’s services during the playoffs due to international duties.
Patidar’s performance has dipped slightly after a strong start, with 23 being his highest score in the last five innings. This season, his inaugural as captain, he has accumulated 239 runs in 10 innings with a strike rate of 140.58. His last half-century, a brisk 64 off 32 balls against Mumbai Indians, was over a month ago.
Shashank Kishore, a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo, reports on these developments.
