During defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Sunday, fans were surprised to see wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma coming out for the toss instead of regular captain Rajat Patidar.
Now Sharma has issued an official statement regarding Patidar’s injury and recovery from it.
Rajat Patidar got injured
During RCB’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur on 13 May, Patidar suffered a head injury.
A short ball bowled by KKR fast bowler Kartik Tyagi at a speed of about 144 kilometers per hour hit Patidar on the back of the head. At that time, he looked well enough to carry on, but he scored just 11 runs in 8 balls and RCB won the match by 6 wickets.
Now it has been confirmed that Patidar’s injury seems to be increasing. He was not seen in any of RCB’s training sessions and it was confirmed that he did not travel to Dharamshala with the team.
Jitesh Sharma issued official statement regarding Rajat Patidar
At the time of the toss during RCB’s match against PBKS, stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma confirmed that Patidar could join the team for their next match.
“Rajat is performing brilliantly and we should see him in Hyderabad. RCB’s last league stage match is against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 22 May.
Also read: No Virat Kohli! RCB announces new captain after Rajat Patidar ruled out of IPL 2026 vs PBKS match
During the toss, Jitesh also revealed that RCB have made two changes to their playing eleven from the win against KKR four days ago.
“Suyash [Sharma] Silver and replaces Romario [Shepherd] in place of [Jacob] Duffy,” he said.
Victory in this match ensures a place in the playoffs for RCB and also increases their chances of reaching the top two. Sharma also touched on this aspect during the toss.
“A win tonight would have sealed our place in the playoffs, so it’s a big game for us. Every game is important at this level. This win could turn the whole table – not just for us, but for many other teams as well,” he said.
As is customary, if RCB beats Punjab on Sunday, the playoff hopes of some other struggling teams will come alive once again.