In not-so-good news for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, they will be missing the likes of Rajat Patidar for the entire IPL 2023 as he has been ruled out with a heel injury. The Challengers thinktank has not decided to name a replacement for Rajat just yet.
Patidar, 29, was undergoing a rehab at BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru over the past few days and it was believed that he would be joining the side for the second half of the IPL. Unfortunately for RCB, after crucial check-ups and thoroughly vetted medical prognosis, he has been ruled out of the tournament for this edition.
Here is how Rajat Patidar’s story unfolded
IPL 2022 saw Rajat Patidar coming forth all guns blazing for the RCB. He was initially picked up as a replacement for an injured Luvnith Sisodia and then as he joined the ranks of the Challengers, he kept on carving one fabulous knock after the other. His brilliance culminated with a century in the Eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants post which he stitched another half-century against the Rajasthan Royals in the second Eliminator.
He finished the season as the third-highest run-scorer for the Challengers, racking up 333 runs at a staggering strike rate of 152.75. His IPL exploits saw him carving open a place in the Madhya Pradesh team and he was bang on his money straight away as he finished as the second-highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy.
The injury scares for RCB in the ongoing season
His scintillating displays for the Challengers also allowed him to bag his maiden international call-up. He was with the Indian squad for a couple of series but is yet to make debut for the Indian cricket team. This was the third injury scare for RCB as Josh Hazlewood is still to recover from his Achilles injury while Reece Topley is to go for a scan for his initial shoulder dislocation after an electric fielding effort against Mumbai Indians.
