Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced another worrying moment as injury problems once again hit them even before the start of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Two of RCB’s key stars, Venkatesh Iyer and Rajat Patidar, were seen in action in Madhya Pradesh’s ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 clash against Jharkhand in Ahmedabad on January 6.
RCB injury scare: Venkatesh Iyer retires hurt during Rajat Patidar’s comeback match
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have suffered a potential blow ahead of IPL 2026 as their star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer suffered an injury during Madhya Pradesh’s Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Jharkhand.
RCB received the injury news on the same day as their captain Rajat Patidar made his long-awaited return to competitive cricket on Tuesday.
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Venkatesh Iyer injury update: Early trouble raises concerns
The day started with a scare for RCB fans as Madhya Pradesh captain Venkatesh Iyer was forced to retire hurt soon after batting at number five. Iyer managed just 1 run from 5 balls before he had to leave the field due to discomfort, raising fresh concerns about RCB’s ongoing injury woes ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026.
Although Iyer showed courage by coming back to bat later in the innings, he was clearly not at his best. The star all-rounder could only face nine more balls, which included 8 runs, before being run out by Shubman Singh. His short stay was not a good sign for both RCB and Madhya Pradesh.
Venky Iyer (C) retired hurt at 1(5) during MP vs Jharkhand
RCB’s injury curse continues pic.twitter.com/oaFhDNC5Dh
– RCB Xtra (@Rcb_Xtra) 6 January 2026
No fireworks on Rajat Patidar’s return
On the other hand, Rajat Patidar’s long-awaited return to competitive cricket also failed to create fireworks. The Madhya Pradesh batsman scored 29 runs in 37 balls but could not improve his start. After failing to make a strong comeback, Anukul Roy clean bowled him.
RCB in injury crisis mode; Patidar is the only relief
Royal Challengers Bangalore are facing significant injury concerns ahead of IPL 2026, as their key players Phil Salt (back injury), Tim David (grade 2 hamstring strain), and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring strain and Achilles tendon issue) are recovering from injuries.
There are dark clouds looming over his availability for the next season and now Venkatesh Iyer’s latest setback has put RCB in a dire situation. Additionally, Yash Dayal is battling legal issues and there is a high possibility that he will miss the next season, as his sexual assault and rape cases are pending in the Allahabad High Court and the Posco court in Jaipur.
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The only good thing is that Patidar recovered from the ankle injury and returned to action. However, Patidar’s late entry into the Vijay Hazare Trophy was not due to any fresh injury.
The RCB captain was advised rest under a slow and careful workload plan as he had recently recovered from a left ankle problem ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is now slowly getting ready for the IPL 2026 season.
No injuries, just rest was advised as he had recovered from the left ankle problem before SMAT. The workload in IPL is increasing slowly.
– Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) 6 January 2026
Rescue work started at lower level after MP faltered at 277 runs.
Madhya Pradesh was eventually bowled out for 277 against Jharkhand. The rescue work came from the lower middle order. Number six and substitute batsman Akshat Raghuvanshi played a crucial inning of 64 runs off 61 balls, while number eight Shivang Kumar scored an aggressive 67 to take the team to a fightable score on the board after top and middle order failure.
Barring Akshat and Shivang, only Shubham Sharma contributed 34 runs from the lineup. For Jharkhand, Utkarsh Singh was the standout bowler taking 3/30 in 7 overs, while Bal Krishna and Shushant Mishra took two wickets each against Madhya Pradesh.
